Porsche launches driver‑focussed 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder

As before, the 2019 718 Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4 are additional GT models from Porsche Motorsport to sit atop their respective ranges, and like their predecessors they continue to tick all those boxes that Porsche purists love the most. Unlike before, they share chassis and drivetrains and can thus now be considered open and closed Porsche twins, separated on price by just under £2,000.

The Spyder, with its distinctive double bubble cowl, simple fabric top and echoes of the 550 Spyder, remains the more road focused of the pair. The GT4 takes over from the wildly acclaimed previous version and majors on track ability.

Despite the character differences, power and performance are now the same for both with a 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds and top speed of 187mph. Power is courtesy of a turbo-less version of the flat-six from the latest 911, with what it loses on natural aspiration made up for with a size jump, from 3.0 to 4.0-litres. Peak power is 420PS (414bhp), which is 35bhp more than the last GT4 and an increase of 45bhp for the Spyder.

While 420PS is the same as that of a 911 Carrera S, the 718’s power delivery and sound promise to be quite different, in line with what Porsche calls an “undiluted driving experience”. The contrast in engines is shown in stark outline by the torque: the Spyder/GT4’s 420Nm (319lb ft) doesn’t arrive until 5,000rpm while a 911’s 500Nm (370lb ft) comes in at just 1,700rpm.

Better use those gears then, and as before with this pair the only transmission choice is a manual six-speeder. Get the four-cylinder Boxster or Cayman if you require a PDK ‘box.

The last Cayman GT4 was something of a revelation for its handling and the good news is the Boxster Spyder now shares the same chassis, which Porsche says has been made sharper than ever for track work with a lower centre of gravity, ball-jointed suspension and two-stage stability control de-activation.

Of the two, it is the GT4 that retains most track focussed, and is the only one of the pair to have the option of a Clubsport package. Ultra high performance tyres, (optional) ceramic brakes and a new aero package mean the convertible can’t be far behind ­– particularly since this is the first-ever Boxster to have some downforce over the rear axle.

Aerodynamic improvements centre on a new rear diffuser fitted to both cars, along with new lip spoiler and air curtains up front. In the Spyder’s case the diffuser works with a new rear spoiler that rises automatically at 74mph to create the downforce.

The Cayman GT4 has always had rear downforce but now it gets more of it: the diffuser and new fixed rear wing are said to contribute 50 per cent more downward pressure at speed than the old GT4, and all for no increase in drag. No surprise then that around the Nürburgring Nordschleife the new GT4 is 10 seconds faster than its predecessor.

Prices start at £73,400 for the 718 Boxster Spyder and £75,350 for the 718 Cayman GT4. The last GT4 came in at £65k ­but you can easily pay more than that today for a three-year-old car, such is the unreal nature of GT4 values.

What is very real is that here are two new Porsches all set to deliver in spades what people who love driving most want.