OK, let's get one thing straight. Nurburgring lap times are pointless. They are an ego-massaging contest between the world's carmakers to see who can get their production (and sometimes only semi-production) cars to go around that very specific ribbon of tarmac the quickest.
Meaningless 'Ring times
A fast 'Ring time means only one thing - that the specific car in question is fast around the Nurburgring. It means nothing for how good, bad, or indifferent that car might be to drive on any other track or any other stretch of road.
All of which said; wow! Have you seen the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS' 'Ring time?
This is the first Cayman 718 model to wear the coveted Porsche RS badge, and it's a step up - a big step up - from the previous hottest Cayman, the plain-old GT4. To reach RS status, it gets a tuned version of the GT4's 3.0-litre flat-six engine, but Porsche isn't speaking about specific power outputs just yet.
It also gets a bespoke aero package, with NACA bonnet ducts, a bigger rear wing than the GT4, and extra slat and vents to let cold air in and hot air out. The wheels, with their spiders-web design, also get centre-lock nuts, much like those of the vaunted GT and RS 911 models.
23 seconds faster than the GT4
In fact, the Cayman RS could well give some 911 GT and RS drivers a case of the uncomfortable - that Nurburgring lap time that Porsche is talking about is so hot, it's advisable to wear oven gloves while reading this report. Brand ambassador and development driver Jörg Bergmeister has lapped the 20.832-kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in a lightly disguised Cayman RS in 7:09.300 minutes. The 718 Cayman GT4 RS completed the shorter 20.6 km lap, which had previously served as the benchmark, in 7:04.511 minutes - 23.6 seconds faster than its little brother, the 718 Cayman GT4.
That's staggeringly fast, and potentially treading heavily on the toes of the hotter 911s. Previously, Porsche has studiously avoided giving the Cayman the aero and the power to do that, but clearly with the end of the current model in sight, and an all-electric Cayman on the horizon, someone at Porsche HQ finally went 'Sod it, let's go...'
"During development, we gave the 718 Cayman GT4 RS everything that characterises a genuine RS: lightweight construction, more downforce, more power and, of course, an even higher level of responsiveness and feedback to driver inputs. The fantastic lap time of the Nordschleife is impressive proof of how clearly noticeable these improvements in driving dynamics are," says Directors GT Model Line, Andreas Preuninger. "Our customers can look forward to a pure driver's car that makes a thrilling driving experience an absolute priority."
Stable and well-balanced
"The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is an uncompromising driving machine. It feels as nimble as a go-kart on mountain roads, yet is impressively stable and well-balanced on the racetrack. Otherwise, such a lap time wouldn't even be possible," says Jörg Bergmeister. "The GT4 RS is one of the sharpest cars Porsche has ever developed. And you really have had to experience the breathtaking noise it makes for yourself."Bergmeister, incidentally, has devoted more than 500 hours to the 718 Cayman GT4 RS during test and tuning drives as part of the car's development.