Porsche Moves to the Flat Four, Cayman GT4 Owners Rejoice

"Kyle D." (kyledblog) 05/19/2015 at 20:25 • Filed to: None

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Last year, I wrote an article passing on rumors that Porsche would be moving towards a turbocharged four pot platform and what that could mean. That has been confirmed, and right now, the changes are only affecting the Boxster and Cayman.

First off, if you bought a Cayman GT4, you have a seriously important decision to make. You can drive one of the best driver’s cars ever made as much as you like, or you can leave it alone for 20 years and sell it for an absurd amount of money.

New cars are normally not good investments. This one will be though. That being said, I’d still drive it around, especially knowing that the alternative is a turbocharged four cylinder engine.

Secondly, this capstones “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ”. That’s it. Welcome to the planet Earth, a place where we throw cylinders and displacement by the wind for small turbocharged engines slammed down your throat by the nanny state for the sake of efficiency . Since when has buying a Porsche ever been about fuel efficiency? 2016 is when. And the devil laughs.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

When Porsche moved away from air cooling in the 911, the purists flipped. That was “the last 911” amongst that crowd. This isn’t about the purists though. This is about the car enthusiast who genuinely enjoys a good old fashioned flat six or even a V8. Yes, of course you’ll be able to get that in an actual 911, and yes, this does make the 911 more distinguished again, which is part of what Porsche has been trying to do as a business.

Sure, the new Cayman could still pump out 325 horses, but why should I pay Porsche money for an STI with street suspension? How much oil will it use? How will it sound?

Porsche may have answered the government’s problems with this plan, but they’ll have to answer to their customers if they want these cars on the roads.

dogisbadob > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 20:29

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Hopefully it sounds like an STI too :p

CB > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 20:31

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What’s that? Change? Oh no, time to panic!

If anyone knows how to build a car, it’s Porsche. I’m sure it’ll be swell. And this is from a guy who is meh about Porsches.

jkm7680 > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 20:37

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One thing about Porsche is that they've always stayed close to their roots with at least two models, haha.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > dogisbadob 05/19/2015 at 20:58

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I54qQg…

“Heritage”

FromCanadaWithLove > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 21:21

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The Alfa 4C proved that 4-cylinder cars can be special. Ford (and I guess GM) are doing the same with their pony cars. I have no doubt Porsche will get a home-run.

But yes, a Cayman GT4 is an investment.

Grindintosecond > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 22:09

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Bring me that engine in a 964 body and call it a 912! The return of the soul of Porsche. Folks forget about the 356/550/912 and a lightweight chassis being pure awesome. Porsche forgot that.

Delusion77 > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 22:13

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Anyone complaining about Porsche using 4 cylinder engines has obviously forgotten about Porsche’s heritage.
The 356 was a h4; as were the 912 & 914. Also the 924, 944 and 968 had inline 4s.

DrJohannVegas > Kyle D. 05/19/2015 at 22:22

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Wheelerguy > Kyle D. 05/20/2015 at 02:17

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Also, a 4-cyl GT4. Finally a name that makes a good match.

Finally.

Kyle D. > Grindintosecond 05/20/2015 at 16:31

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I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, those extremely lightweight bodies aren’t allowed any more.

Kyle D. > Delusion77 05/20/2015 at 16:33

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These cars were made before A pillars had to be the size of a linebacker’s thigh. Part of what made the old four cylinder Porsches great is that they had very light bodies. Safety regulations don’t allow for cars like that any more.

Grindintosecond > Kyle D. 05/21/2015 at 10:57

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Porsche says so. That’s all. But guess what? The 911 GT3’s weigh about 3,000 pounds. Making a flat-4 will weigh quite a bit less as will making a car that’s not so bloated at all. The present 911 is not the size it is because that’s as small as they can make it. It’s suffering from model bloat. Look at the 300zx as example. So, think Fiesta or Mazda 2. think about this. A 912 GT3 or RS2.7 4 cylinder. It would be 300hp N/A and 2700 pounds. A glorious return to exactly what made the classic 911 something personal and special.

Kyle D. > Grindintosecond 05/21/2015 at 18:14

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A 2015 Honda Civic weighs 2749 pounds as a minimum today. That’s without the larger wheels that a Boxster or a Cayman has. That’s without the leather seats. That’s with a FF setup.

A GT3 is a bare bones car with all the parts it needs to race and nothing more. Boxsters and Caymans are supposed to be sports cars and maybe even GT cars, but they don’t start out as race cars. 2700 pounds just seems a bit unlikely.

Grindintosecond > Kyle D. 05/21/2015 at 18:56

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For a GT3 version of a possible 912 it’s very likely. So, up that to a regular road going version of said 912 and you get a 3,000 pound car with 275hp in a 964 size.