Car people rejoice, because Porsche is bringing the six-cylinder back down to its non-GT4 mid-engined sports cars in the form of the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster GTS 4.0.
As the new name suggests, the outgoing 718 GTS’ 365-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder is being replaced with a 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated flat-six making 394 horses and 309 pound-feet of torque. According to Porsche, it is “closely related” to the 414-hp mill found in the knockout 718 Spyder and Cayman GT4. Zero to 60 arrives in 4.3 seconds and top speed sits at a Teutonically adequate 182—one-tenth of a second quicker and 2 mph faster than the outgoing GTS.
More importantly, perhaps, the six-cylinder will almost certainly sound a lick better than the old engine especially considering it’ll rev to 7,800 rpm and is paired to the same twin-exit Sport exhausts found in the aforementioned Spyder and GT4.
To cope with the power bump, the standard iron brake discs now measure 13.8 and 13 inches front and rear, respectively, up from the old models’ 13 and 11.8-inch stoppers. Naturally, ceramic brakes can also be had if you’ve got the cash. Active sport suspension sits 20 millimeters lower than the regular 718s while Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical limited-slip differential, Porsche Stability Management, Porsche Active Drivetrain Mounts, and the Sport Chrono package all come standard. Oh, and unlike the old GTS which could be had with a six-speed manual or PDK automatic, the GTS 4.0 is manual-only.
Is this the perfect Porsche? This is the perfect Porsche.
Aesthetically, the new GTS 4.0 Cayman and Boxster set themselves apart with black trim on the outside and black Alcantara on the inside although, at this point, Porsche could outfit these cars with gaudy gold window frames and seats skinned out of an old tablecloth and we’d still probably want one.
For those out of the loop, the 718-generation of Boxster and Cayman that debuted in 2016 saw Porsche replace the 981-gen’s audibly delicious flat-six engine with a much-maligned 2.5-liter turbo-four. The six returned with the hardcore Cayman GT4 and Spyder models but the “regular” models still had to make do with that slightly Subaru-ish four-pot. For the GTS, at least, that nonsense ends now. Or, more precisely, this summer when the 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster GTS 4.0 become available to order.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com