2015 Porsche Cayman GT4 unveiled

“It still has to be beautiful and have a 'want factor', though,” Preuninger adds, pointing to details such as the “cool” black glass on the front and rear lights, blackened twin central exhausts and quality stitching on the twin lightweight bucket seats, taken from the 918 Spyder, as small details adding to that 'want factor'.Despite all the extra equipment, the Cayman GT4 weighs no more than a Cayman GTS, tipping the scales at 1340kg dry.

You can delete items such as the sat-nav and air-con to save weight, but Preuninger expects only a small take-up for that. “Only 2% of 911 GT3 RS buyers took away the air-con,” he points out, saying that despite the car’s track intentions, owners still take them on the road and are concerned about deleting such items and harming resale values with such little tangible weight and performance gains.

Inside, the steering wheel is new for the GT4 and the sports seats are trimmed in both leather and Alcantara.

Standard equipment includes bi-xenon headlights, a sports exhaust system, a Sport Chrono Package with dynamic engine mounts, the Porsche Torque Vectoring system, a mechanical limited-slip differential at the rear and the Porsche Stability Management system.

On the options list are items such as carbonfibre-reinforced, plastic-backed seats for the two-seat interior. These weigh just 15kg each and are inspired by the 918 Spyder. A customised version of the Sport Chrono Package is offered, as is a Club Sport Package.

Interview with Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s GT road car division

Preuninger on manual vs automatic

The manual vs dual-clutch PDK auto’ debate rages on between not only Porsche customers and enthusiasts, but also within the company’s own GT division.“We thought about both with this car and I wouldn’t rule out a PDK version in the future,” says Preuninger.

“There is a 50/50 happiness split between the two choices. There is no wrong or right answer. But as a company we have to have both,” a comment that reveals any report on the death of the manual gearbox as being greatly exaggerated.

Preuninger continues: “It is all about taste and how you use it. PDK has the edge performance-wise, but for pure motoring enjoyment on a Sunday afternoon, even I like the manual better. It gives me more to do; this is what a GT is all about. But you also have to appreciate that people enjoy both and the advantages. Many people reacted to the manual in the 911 GT3, but in this car it is just not right to have a manual. Still, so many people wanted a manual gearbox… this car proves we have listened.”

Preuninger also points to the fact that the car, with a Nürburgring lap time of 7m40sec, is the fastest of its size and type, even without a PDK that would shave a few tenths off the lap. “We like to be manual,” he says, “ but we like better to be fastest. If we can be manual and fastest then great. If we’re put under pressure in the future, we’ll react accordingly."

There’s even new life put into this manual gearbox by Porsche making the throw even shorter and adding a ‘blipping assistant’, a sophisticated rev matching system that can be turned off if desired. Preuninger, a man who likes his sports cars pure, is enjoying the system and keeps it on most of the time.

Preuninger on whether a Cayman can be better than a 911

The Cayman GT4 is a car Preuninger and his team have always wanted to make but have until now not had the engineering capacity to realise. To that end, Preuninger says that, contrary to popular belief, there is no agenda within Porsche or his GT department to prevent the Cayman from ever becoming a better car to drive than the 911. “There’s no internal regime, no team rules,” he says.

The Cayman GT4, then, could be quite something indeed. “It’s a pure Motorsport car,” Preuninger says. “It’s the youngster in our GT range, but a youngster to be taken seriously. There’s so much underneath the bodywork.”

Preuninger says he doesn’t expect the Cayman GT4 to steal any sales from the 911 GT3 (which has now finished its current production run), because the price difference is vast and the intended usage very different.

“It could affect used car sales, though,” he adds. “I’m very curious to see whether people go for a three-year-old GT3 or a new Cayman GT4. We’ll win new customers with this also, and those who want a new toy.”

Preuninger on what the Cayman GT4 will be like to drive

It’s easy to zone out a little when a company chief starts talking up the merits of their latest creation, but when it’s a man like Preuninger with cars on his CV such as the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and his success in making the current 911 GT3 so darned good, in spite of those initial doubts on the electric steering and PDK gearbox, his opinion on how it drives is worth listening to.

So one’s appetite is firmly whetted when Preuninger reveals it is a Cayman GT4 he has had his most memorable recent drive in. “We did a test drive in the very south of Italy,” he recalls. “There were three of four of us going very, very fast… this car talks to you, it communicates so much. It has senses you dial into. It is old-school driving fun, but it’s not outdated in any way.”

Sounds like a car to get very excited about indeed, then. Especially when you consider the other car Preuninger and his team have been working on and driving at the same time has been the upcoming 911 GT3 RS, which will join the Cayman GT4 at the Geneva show.

Preuninger on whether or not the Cayman GT4 will go racing

Don’t get too caught up on that GT4 name pre-empting an entry into that level of motorsport. Although Preuninger says the Cayman GT4 could comfortably be morphed into an out-and-out racing car, he says the GT4 badge is more of a reflection of where the Cayman GT4 sits below the 911 GT3 in the range.

Preuninger on whether cars like the GT4 are still important to Porsche

Preuninger is in no doubt as to the importance of the car – and others like it in Porsche’s range – in ensuring Porsche doesn’t forget its roots and continues to make the rewarding sports cars the company has always been known for.