Cayman GT4: Where are we up to now?

[ralphmusic]

Jeff, Cost of a GT3 engine without a core exchange is many tens of greenbacks. I have seen only one engine for sale and that was from crashed car and had a crack in the crankcase. The other issue is ECU, different electronics and sensors - big project. My friend in Germany has a 991 >430PS engine in his 981 Boxster so getting that in a GT4 would not be a problem using existing tunes and same generation Porsche parts. Ralph

 

[spyderman]

ORIGINAL: ralphmusic My friend in Germany has a 991 >430PS engine in his 981 Boxster so getting that in a GT4 would not be a problem using existing tunes and same generation Porsche parts.

Impressive! Does he have a website about the build? Chris.

 

[ralphmusic]

Try http://www.pff.de/porsche/board104-porsche-modelle/board6-porsche-boxster/porsche-boxster-981/2744081-der-boxster-muss-schneller/index100.html

 

[Motorhead]

Yes Ralph, I appreciate the difficulties associated with an engine swop and the comment was really tongue-in-cheek. However, knowing the resourcefulness and can-do approach of the Americans, I wouldn't put anything past them given the financial and technical resources and also given that - according to the forums - there seem to be quite a few converted cars floating around there with 3.8L engines too. Jeff

 

[MrDemon]

Keep R and buy Elise cup Or GT4 ? or sell everything and buy a 458 ;-) I need a smaller house and a bigger garage. Loads of great car to own at £20k you have these 5 or a GT4 lol 968 club sport TVR tamora Mk 2 clio v6 in yellow Exige Mk1 focus RS

 

[Motorhead]

Having second thoughts MrD? After all, £70k is a big spend... Jeff

 

[MrDemon]

I am very impulsive I just go out buy a car and normally it's on the drive the same day, at worse 2 days. Porsche are still not taking GT4 orders yet ! at this rate no car for summer. I can go and buy a Elise CUP today, the dealers have them sitting there to take home ...

 

[Motorhead]

Why the delay, I wonder? Surely Porsche must know the numbers by now, unless they're waiting to see how many additional orders from "premier customers" roll in at Geneva to make a final decision as to who gets what; or worse, who gets to jump the queue. As you say, plenty of choice out there for punters with money in their pockets. Even the hot hatch posse have really upped their game with the latest 300hp+ Civic Type-R and Focus RS entering the fray to compete with the various VAG offerings. Even Lotus appear to have stepped up to the mark with their heavily revised Evora offering. Jeff

 

[MrDemon]

I don't get the delay. If I get bumped this late on because of 918 people it will be annoying. atm still 2nd in line but Geneva does showcase cars to people who other wise would not know about it. it can only be that reason and 918 peoples cars does come out of local allocation ! RS buyers are getting bumped so it's started all over again !!! the thing is you cannot buy any nice car now in any make. Aston , McLaren, Ferrari, all say only cars to clients who own cars ? how does one buy a top of the range car now days ? As I have stated Top 555 and Tom Hartley will both have 991 RS for sale at £80k over list, so the cars are getting flipped from day 1 !

 

[fbr]

ORIGINAL: MrDemon Keep R and buy Elise cup Or GT4 ?

..or bolt on a pair of side scoops and have the best of all worlds..

Frank

 

[Motorhead]

Yuk! That looks a bit of a carbuncle to me Frank... Jeff

 

[Motorhead]

ORIGINAL: MrDemon As I have stated Top 555 and Tom Hartley will both have 991 RS for sale at £80k over list, so the cars are getting flipped from day 1 !

Only £80k over list? I thought I read yesterday that punters were offering £150k+ over list. Someone's missing a trick...! Jeff

 

[fbr]

ORIGINAL: Motorhead Yuk! That looks a bit of a carbuncle to me Frank... Jeff

Jeff But it must make it go faster. Bye the way have you seen this? http://driving.ca/reviews/road-test/first-drive-2015-porsche-cayman-gt4 Frank PS claims the air scoops on the GT4 are worth 10% power increase - so there!

 

[Motorhead]

Frank, 10% more power [allegedly], but probably only at max speed and offset by increased drag a high speeds due to an inferior drag coefficient [0.32 vs 0.31 for CS/GTS] and increased frontal area [width and sectional height]. Not a great first drive report but some interesting impressions. More tyre roar I can understand...but transmission whine. Where can that come from given that the GT4 uses a slightly beefed-up standard gearbox [heavier duty bearing maybe]? Nice to see a number of colour choices lined up and look forward to reading reports from the more established mags soon. Jeff

 

[Motorhead]

Another [Aussie] review from the same location in Portugal: http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-reviews/porsche-cayman-gt4-first-drive-review-20150306-13wsqj.html Sound deadening material has been removed from the engine bay to save weight and while that might only serve to enhance the brass orchestra of engine noise coming from behind, it also means that transmission whine from when the gearbox is under load comes straight through to the cabin. So that addresses my previous comment. Driving the GT4 on the road certainly reveals it to be relatively uncompromising when it comes to comfort and convenience. If there was any doubt, it confirms the GT4's credentials primarily as a track-day car which can be used on the road. A comment from Preuninger regarding the "side blades": The side blades are not a cosmetic feature. They ensure that the air has a higher flow rate when it enters the injection tract—to cover the engine’s greater need for air. Not so much there for power then; more to maintain sufficient air flow to the engine. Jeff

 

[fbr]

Jeff I agree, hardly an in depth report/test. It does indicate that pre-release testing events have taken place and better reports should be soon appearing. Ref the air scoops here's Preuninger's comments taken from an interview in the upcoming Christophorus (No. 370): Standing in the workshop again, looking at the yellow racing hero one more time, Preuninger follows my gaze and provides impromptu commentary on the details. “The side blades are not a cosmetic feature. They ensure that the air has a higher flow rate when it enters the injection tract—to cover the engine’s greater need for air.” So the're not entirely cosmetic. Gives hope to young Ralph in his pursuit of "bolt on" performance with the outmoded 981S Hatchback . Frank PS Snap on the side blades! PPS "Not so much there for power then; more to maintain sufficient air flow to the engine" ..and improve the cooling?

 

[ralphmusic]

All young Ralph is thinking about is how best to spend the next six weeks at our home in Southern Spain. Getting up this morning at 02:45 is now looking worth it.

 

[Motorhead]

Quite so Frank. Another snippet which has crept out: The Cayman’s six-cylin­der engine was specially tuned with different valve timing and given its own injection system. Compared with the [more powerful] 991S, there's also a different intake system [air ducting, throttle-body/plenum] and perhaps a DME revision. The block's also been machined to get it into the Cayman's engine bay. Jeff Edit: I believe that all the air from the side intakes is ducted to the engine intake and not used for cooling purposes.

 

[fbr]

Jeff [link=http://files1.porsche.com/filestore.aspx/Cayman-GT4--Catalogue.pdf?pool=usa&type=download&id=981-c7-gt4-catalogue&lang=none&filetype=default&version=035eaa35-b749-11e4-a19d-001a64c55f5c]I don't know if this has been made available[/link] It's a download link from Porsche for the pdf file of the GT4 catalogue. On your other points I'm not sure if the engine squeeze was more to do with accommodating the new transaxle to fit the uprated manual gearbox. The fuel/air intake was always going be different, the 991 plenum simply doesn't squeeze in to the space (see those exciting USA chaps who have been throwing 991 engines into 981's for sometime). It would be very surprising if no cooling air went in through the side ducts. If not how is the engine bay cooled? Frank PS to Ralph - is that stuffy hatchback enjoying the hotter & rarefied air of Spain? PPS extracts from catalogue "Even the side air intakes behind the doors are a perfect example of performance oriented design: side air blades embossed with the ‘GT4’ logo help to boost ram pressure. The results are improved air induction and more efficient cooling of the engine." Note the centre bonnet vent, as previously surmised, is to generate downforce (presumably a venturi like effect) and not cooling: "The central air intake additionally directs airflow upwards through the outlet to the front of the luggage compartment lid, also reinforcing aerodynamic downforce at the front axle."

 

[ralphmusic]

ORIGINAL: fbr PS to Ralph - is that stuffy hatchback enjoying the hotter & rarefied air of Spain?

It' s Margarita o'clock over here after thrashing a Megane diesel. The real things about the GT4 which differentiate it from BGB etc are the front and rear suspensions - the rest of it is easy and others have done it before other than factory ECU write capability on the tune. Of course the engine and intake is modded and neither the 991 exhaust nor gearbox fit. It is a re-engineered platform and we should hope that it will presage a greater commitment to the mid-size mid-engine platform.