We Pummel the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and Spyder around Scotland (2024)

Indulge me for a moment, please. I'm not one to start an article with an "I," but with the 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder, it's personal. And not just because C/D once ran a letter accusing me of being a "Porsche jock-sniffing fanboy." Prepare for a hearty whiff. If you want to detect hints of jock in it, that says more about you.

To me, this pair was a deep gulp of fresh air. I didn't realize how much I needed this sort of pure palate cleanser. But I feel so much better about the world after driving these two that I have to shout it from the rooftops—or the screen of your computer (hopefully, your work computer)/tiny pocket computer/whatever. There's a lot of bullsh*t among the myriad new cars you can buy today in America. These two are priced like a lot of that bullsh*t, but in a pricing stratosphere where you're mostly buying pampering or prestige—and what, exactly, is prestige anyway, other than a salve for insecurity?—the Cayman GT4 and Spyder provide something real.

Straight Talk on a Flat-Six

That something real starts with something new. And some straight talk. The turbocharged flat-fours in other Boxsters and Caymans are not as good as the sixes they replaced. Nowhere near it. But whining about the way things used to be doesn't bring back the old days. Still we've found a lot about the latest generation to approve of, particularly in its 350- and 365-hp S and GTS trims that, when paired with Porsche’s excellent dual-clutch automatic, can run quarter-miles that just nip the 11s. But there's far more to like about the 4.0-liter flat-six in the GT4 and Spyder, chiefly its friendlier, linear power build and, most of all, the raspy, stirring rip to its 8000-rpm redline. Sports cars are irrational, emotional devices for delivering sensory experience, and that steady pull and hoarse bawl are critical to the experience.

Surprisingly, this is not an evolution of an existing naturally aspirated Porsche flat-six. Rather, it is a naturally aspirated variant of the turbocharged six that has powered 911s since 2016. But here, it's bored and stroked to 4.0 liters—a full third larger than the 911's version—and fitted with a new crankshaft and new heads, manifolds, and internals. The result is 414 horsepower—up 49 on the turbo four found in the Cayman GTS—and 309 lb-ft of torque. While that torque figure is identical to a manual GTS's—PDK-equipped cars have an additional 8 lb-ft unleashed—the 4.0's peak lives between 5000 and 6800 rpm, right where a Porsche's peak twist ought to be. The GTS, by comparison, hits its peak at 1900 rpm and carries it to 5500. And the GT4/Spyder engine's power peak, at 7600, is 1100 rpm higher than the turbo four's. Even with cylinder deactivation shutting off an entire bank and running the engine as a 2.0-liter slant-three under light loads, expect fuel economy to fall well short of the four-cylinder's. And that's just fine. Acceleration performance will likely lag that of the quickest PDK-equipped Boxsters and Caymans, too. That's also fine.

The reasons that this 4.0-liter is not the same as that in the 911 GT3 are twofold. First, the GT3's dry-sump oiling system uses an external tank. That sump doesn't fit in the 718's engine bay when the powertrain is rotated the 180 degrees necessary to go from rear-engine to mid-engine. A motivated engineering team surely could have relocated that tank, but Porsche representatives also tell us that the GT3 engine wasn't happy detuned to the output of the new six, which is about as much as the 718 chassis is designed to handle. But the best news for enthusiasts is that this 4.0-liter was designed to meet emissions standards as far out as the automaker can anticipate, likely indicating that even in the age of turbocharging, the atmospheric six has a long(ish) future at Porsche.

The Tie Rods That Bind

Those craving a direct link between GT4/Spyder and GT3 will find it immediately aft of the engine: This 4.0-liter shares its dual-mass flywheel with the GT3. But look slightly deeper, into the suspension, and there's a much stronger and more meaningful connection. The rear dampers, suspension links, and ball joints—as well as the entire front axle—are shared with the GT3.

We drove the Cayman GT4 just outside of Edinburgh, at Knockhill, Scotland's only FIA-accredited circuit, and one with a fantastically appropriate name for a rowdy racing circuit. And rowdy the place is, cramming some 200 feet of elevation change into just 1.3 miles. For reference, Virginia International Raceway, where we run our annual Lightning Lap track test, is more than twice as long but measures just 122 feet from its highest to its lowest point. So Knockhill's eight turns are a riotous mix with off-camber turn-in points right at hillcrests, esses laid over rolling hills, and a straightaway so bumpy it tosses the rear tires from the tarmac.

Knock-Around Guys

The GT4 and Spyder both sit 1.2 inches lower than regular 718 models, which is an additional 0.8 down from the GTS versions. Pitch the GT4 into a corner, and it naturally settles into the window between sliding rubber and stability-control intervention. The car is happy to dance in that moment, reacting to tiny throttle adjustments, until you're riding the exit curbing. That stability is welcome as Knockhill unsettles the car, the GT4 going light over crests and then settling immediately back into its former trajectory as the load returns to the tires. There's a tactile difference between the Normal and Sport settings for the dampers, but it doesn't substantially change the character of the car. There's a useful amount of play on track in Normal—and racing up Knockhill's lumpy straightaway it's particularly welcome—but Sport only feels too stiff over the roughest, most potholed Scottish byways. The six's power delivery is both friendlier and more frenetic than the turbocharged four's. The softer low end calms the rear over humps, while that power peak just 400 rpm shy of redline practically begs you to keep your foot in it and brake late.

The brakes are outstanding, with great bite and progressive, easy modulation. These range toppers are available only with a six-speed manual, and that third pedal is likewise perfect. Porsche calls its automatic rev-matching function Auto Blip, but the 718's gearbox—here with a shorter shift lever than in other Boxsters and Caymans—and clutch feel so natural that Auto Blip is practically what it does even when the system is off. In this car, everybody is a heel-toe pro.

Knockhill's length doesn't provide much opportunity to explore higher speeds, but the GT4 and Spyder benefit from a comprehensive aerodynamic rework compared to the rest of the 718 line. Both have a fully paneled underbody and sizable rear diffuser. Unique front splitters differ between coupe and roadster, to work in concert with both the GT4's fixed rear spoiler and the Spyder's deployable unit. The result is a significant improvement in downforce—Porsche claims the Spyder is the first Boxster ever to produce downforce on the rear axle—without an adverse effect on the drag coefficient. That helps these 718s to hit top speeds of 187 mph (Spyder) and 189 mph (GT4).

'Ring-ky Dinky Do

Turning in a 7:30 lap time around the Nürburgring, the GT4 is 12 seconds quicker than its predecessor and, more impressively, four seconds quicker than the famed $450,000 Carrera GT, with its 605-hp 8400-rpm V-10. Admittedly, that's testimony to tire technology as much as anything else. The pair's 245/35ZR-20 fronts and 295/30ZR-20 rears are 10 and 30 millimeters wider, respectively, than what the GTS models ride on.

Scotland's winding back roads, hemmed tight with hedgerows and stone fences, highlight the lack of sound-deadening in the Spyder's lightweight top, as the exhaust bellow reverberates back loudly and the hiss of the rain on a gray Scottish Tuesday is enough to lull a passenger to sleep. Unlike other Boxsters, the Spyder's top is manual, and though the buttresses add a few steps to its stowing, we're assured it's nothing of the two-person circus that lowering the first-gen Spyder's was. (As it was raining the entire day of our exposure to the car, we didn't have a chance to try it ourselves.) With the heftier chassis components necessary to handle the increased cornering loads, the GT4 and Spyder gain a few pounds compared to other 718s. Seems like a few pounds back into the top wouldn't spoil the fun.

Actually, few things could spoil the fun. The Spyder and Cayman GT4 are toys, but toys you can drive every day—so long as you don't get the sport bucket seats, which are only suitable for short track stints and would tire bodies of almost any size after a couple hours of street use. So don't get those, unless your $100,000 Porsche is going to be mostly a track toy. But do buy a Cayman GT4 or Spyder. Or any Cayman or Boxster, even an early, $20,000 used one—just be careful and smart about it if that's your route. Because whether or not you realize now how much you need it, you'll know after you drive one. Porsche's mid-engined sports cars are like a massage for the soul.