JOHANNESBURG - If you were excited by the news of Porsche giving a six-cylinder heart transplant to its 718 Boxster and Cayman GTS models, it might be time to give your nearest dealer a call.
Porsche has opened the order book for these new GTS ‘4.0’ variants, while also confirming the South African pricing. You can expect to part with R1 164 000 for the Cayman GTS 4.0 and R1 175 000 for the Boxster version, when ordered with the three-year Drive Plan. Surprisingly, the pair are actually R5000 cheaper than the less powerful Cayman and Boxster S models. There might not be a performance advantage at Highveld altitudes, however, as the GTS is now normally aspirated.
Replacing the 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol found in the previous GTS is a detuned version of Porsche’s 4-litre direct injection boxer engine that powers the Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder. With 294kW on tap, it’s just 15kW shy of the aforementioned flagship while sharing the same maximum torque figure of 420Nm. The 0-100km/h sprint is just 0.1 seconds astray, with the GTS doing the deed in 4.5 seconds according to Porsche.
Of course, the new Cayman and Boxster GTS 4.0 variants are more about the joy of driving than outright speed, and both are fitted with a good old fashioned six-speed manual gearbox as well as a sports exhaust system with dynamic damper control to give you the perfect soundtrack as you approach that screaming 7800rpm redline.
Porsche has done some work on the chassis too, with GTS 4.0 Cayman and Boxster sitting 20mm lower to the ground than the regular models, and the pair also boast PASM sports suspension, Torque Vectoring and Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package.
Unique styling treats include Satin-Gloss Black 20-inch alloys as well as dark contrasting elements both outside and inside the cars.