The Next Porsche Cayman GT4 Stays Manual, Turbo-less

Porsche recently updated almost all of its fleet by with a turbo feature—except the 911 GT3 and Cayman GT4. If Porsche’s direction had you worried about the Cayman GT4’s future, don’t be, as the Porsche’s head of GT development and Motorsport division boss Andreas Preuninger assured that the next-gen Cayman GT4 remains true to its purist nature.

Speaking at the launch of the new Porsche 911 GT3, Preuninger confirmed that future Cayman GT4s will continually use manual transmission and natural aspiration. The reason is as much about performance as it is about ideology, with Preuninger outwardly expressing his belief that natural aspiration is simply the superior option for the German make’s motorsport cars.

“Natural aspiration is one of our main selling propositions,” said Preuninger. “We offer a car for people who want to feel something special, who want to have as much emotion as possible, as much throttle response and immediacy from a sports-car engine,” he said. “And at Motorsport, we think that can be achieved a little bit better with a [naturally aspirated> high-revving engine than any kind of turbo.”

3.8 or 4.0?

With the manual and turbo question settled, the inquiry on which power plant should be in the Cayman GT4’s engine bay comes next. The model’s current iteration comes equipped with a 3.8-liter flat-six engine, while the GT3 uses turbo 4.0-liter units. Preuninger didn’t give out any clues as to which engine will power the upcoming GT4, but the GT3’s 4.0 is the most likely candidate, perhaps one that is in a lower state of tune than the 500-hp version to make it more roadworthy.

PDK version in the works

Preuninger also hinted that the next-gen Cayman GT4 may offer their patented PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung), a clutch system that’s essentially two gearboxes in one. Preuninger made it obvious that he wanted every GT to have both options available as long as there are no overriding cost reasons to prevent it.

“That’s the aim, to always have choice. Now we’ve started that strategy and it pays off,” Preuninger adds. “I think it’s the right thing to do – who are we to tell people what’s best for them? Depending on what you want to do with the car, it can be perfectly understandable to go for a manual if you’re not chasing times on the track.”

What about the GT2?

The next question is whether Porsche’s Motorsport division will really create an updated version of the 911 GT2, as previous editions did use turbo. Despite spy shots adding fuel to the fire, Preuninger reveals this may not be the case.

“GT has got a naturally aspirated engine religion almost, and we don’t think it would be a wise move to shy away from that and turn around at the pinnacle of success of these cars and try something else without any necessity to do it,” Preuninger said. “Why not have the Motorsports cars NA and the standard Carreras turbocharged? I don’t see a problem with that, everyone can choose what he wants to have.”