Project Cayman GTS 4.0 – Introduction

Project Cayman GTS 4.0

Never give up on your dreams is an inspirational message we read or hear. But achieving those dreams can take longer than expected. Back in what feels like a different lifetime in the mid 90’s, I was a detailer at a Porsche dealership in Newport Beach, CA. I had access to all kinds of cool cars like 964 911 Turbos, 993 911’s and eventually my hero car – the 993 911 twin turbo. Little did I know it would take 28 years to get my own set of Porsche keys, and with that we introduce the latest MotoIQ Project Cayman GTS 4.0.

The Porsche market is a fascinating and quirky sub-culture. As Doug DeMuro brilliantly points out, passionate enthusiasts might shame you for not having “deviated stitching” on the interior.

If I boiled all my learnings in the journey to one thing it’s discovering: buy the car that speaks to you. It doesn’t matter what’s faster on paper or what the forum experts claim you should want. Drive everything that interests you, and let your heart do the final negotiating.

The Rental Experience

As a birthday present a couple of years ago, my family decided to rent me a 718 Cayman for a day.

I drove a base model Cayman with a 300hp 2.0-liter turbo four and PDK gearbox. Despite what Porsche purists say about the lack of flat-6 sounds, the engine suits the car perfectly. The turbo’s torque makes it genuinely entertaining.  Anyone willing to appreciate a base model for what it is would be very satisfied with the experience.

The Cayman proved equally engaging at 25 mph through neighborhoods as well as attacking on-ramps or carving backroads. What stood out most were the fingertip-light inputs, the precise responses, and the remarkable stability. For the first time in years, I got into a performance car and didn’t immediately start mentally modifying it. The go-to-jail speeds weren’t necessary. It was the first sports car (in a long time) that felt complete right out of the box.

Other Makes & Models

Before landing on the Cayman GTS 4.0, I considered various options including a C7 Z06 or Grand Sport. Both were compelling choices worth exploring at some point. My brief experience with a C7 Z06 Turo rental is the closest thing to being propelled by exploding dynamite before you’re blown to bits. Well-maintained 981 Caymans in various trims command near-MSRP prices or higher (these are nearly 10 year old cars now). Then came the test drive of a 718 Cayman GT4. Like the base Cayman, it spoke to me, but added over 100hp and proper track-focused hardware. Similar to Khiem’s experience with Project Cayment T, the GTS 4.0 ultimately made more sense for primarily street driving and budget considerations.

Speaking of Khiem – his input proved invaluable throughout this process. After reading his 718 Cayman T articles and peppering him with questions, he reached out one day about a GTS 4.0 listed on the 718 forum that matched my criteria. That lead turned into the car you see here.  Ironically the MotoIQ Happy Hour Podcast also came to the same conclusions which I saw after I bought the car.

Engine Specifications and Performance

The 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 shares its naturally aspirated flat-6 with the GT4, detuned from 414hp to 394hp, while maintaining identical torque at 309 lb-ft. Porsche developed this engine by taking the 3.0-liter 911 unit, increasing displacement to 4.0 liters, and removing the turbos to deliver the high-revving character enthusiasts demanded. Manual transmission models achieve 0-60 in the low four-second range, with PDK variants managing high threes. For context, the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder 718 Cayman S delivers similar acceleration figures.