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Porsche announces Cayman GT4 with 911 GT3 components

For years, there's been a debate among Porsche fans about which of its products is a better sports car, the 911 or the Cayman. It would only take a few sentences before those in the Cayman corner said that Porsche wouldn't make the Cayman as good as it could be for fear of overshadowing The Number One Son. We have a feeling these conversations are going to get a lot livelier with the introduction of the Cayman GT4, which pilfers lightly from the 911 Carrera S and heavily from the 911 GT3. On the outside, you can look to its front fascia, wheels, and fixed rear wing, and 30-millimmeter lower ride height for GT3 inspirations. Underneath, there's a 385-horsepower, 3.8-liter flat-six engine amidships, credited as being derived from the Carrera S. While there are those out there still lamenting the fact that the GT3 can only be had with a dual-clutch transmission, the Cayman GT4 "transmits its power solely through a six-speed manual transmission with dynamic gearbox mounts." Yeah. So take that. The extra power reduces the Cayman GT4's 0-to-60 mile per hour sprint to 4.2 seconds, a half second quicker than the 340-hp Cayman GTS, and bumps top speed up to 183 mph. An interesting nugget: Porsche says the Cayman GT4 runs the Nurburgring in seven minutes and 40 seconds, which it credits as the same time run by the 2011 911 GT3. Porsche has never offered a precise time for the current 911 GT3, saying only that it's "under 7:30," and Internet rumor (grab your salt lick) is that the not-yet-introduced GT3 RS has done a 7:20. We don't have all of its details yet – those will come closer to its introduction at the Geneva Motor Show next month – but we're told of a lot more 911 GT3 parts underneath, like the chassis that "consists almost entirely of components from the 911 GT3" and that all of its "technical aspects are based on the 911 GT3." If you want to take it further, the options sheet will include ceramic brakes and carbon fiber bucket seats. This new top-shelf Cayman gets to dealerships in the US in July with a starting price of $84,600 before a $995 destination charge. You'll find a few more bits of info in the press release below. A New Member of Porsche's GT Family The benchmark in its class: the Porsche Cayman GT4 Atlanta, Feb. 3, 2015 - Porsche's GT family is proud to announce the addition of an exciting new member: the Cayman GT4. This is the first Porsche GT sports car based on the Cayman and features components of the 911 GT3.

Porsche continues facelift spree with 911 Turbo

If there's ever been automotive case for constant evolution, it is the Porsche 911. It seems like every time a new version of the rear-engined sports car debuts, Porsche is already hard at work on a facelifted version of it that changes some subtle, barely noticeable aspect.
Such is the case with this round of images of a facelifted 911 Turbo, which was seen undergoing winter testing alongside the facelifted, hardtop-version of the 911 Cabriolet we showed you yesterday. The new, 991-based 911 Turbo was just unveiled in May of 2013.
Like the Cabrio from yesterday, both the Turbo and naturally aspirated models shown here feature additional slats at the rear of the car, right behind the rear wheels. These slats on the standard model lend credence to what we learned yesterday - that even the regular 911 models could end up getting turbocharged mills.

China may surpass US as Porsche's largest market this year thanks to Cayenne

China has already surpassed the United States as the world's largest automotive market, so it's no surprise that one day soon it will be the world's largest Porsche market.
In fact, that day may already be here, as the PRC's Porschephiles outbought their American counterparts in September. Porsche's Chinese dealers sold 4,344 cars last month to America's 3,607. Through all of 2014 so far, though, the US is still the larger market for the German brand.
"The U.S. performed very well this year, after a great year in 2013, but China is growing fast, thanks to the Cayenne which is our best seller there," Porsche's sales and marketing boss, Bernhard Maier, told Automotive News Europe.