What the 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Taught Me About Life's Milestones

I played the “I’m getting married” card. Again.

When Porsche offered up 48 hours with its latest track-focused play thing, the 2022 718 Cayman GT4 RS, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. My pending nuptials, I reasoned with managing editor Mike Schlee, were reason enough to accept. (Thank you for putting up with my demands, Mike.) When my friendly local rep clarified it’d be the two days directly before my wedding, I didn’t blink. This was going to be the last car I drove before marriage—at least, that was the plan—and what better way to mark the occasion than with one of the wildest, most entertaining cars you can still fit a license plate to?

More than that, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is the end of an era. A line in the sand. Porsche has already confirmed the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman will be all-electric, following in the footsteps of the Taycan and upcoming Macan EV. Until that happens, Stuttgart will build as many GT4 RSs as it can sell. If you’re lucky enough to swing the $150,550 ($168,100 CAD) entry price, you’ll find a car utterly intoxicating. A 9,000-rpm salute to the glorious analog sports car. A buzzy, tactile ball of pure energy. A last of line.

The GT4 RS is the realization of a decades-long Porschephile dream: what if Stuttgart didn’t hold back its mid-engined sports car to protect the iconic 911? With the next-gen model going battery-powered, and the 911 sticking to combustion for the next decade, now was the time to see just how far the combustion-engined Cayman could go. So in comes the latest evolution of the 4.0-liter GT3 motor, an entirely different unit than the one in the “regular” GT4. It makes 493 horsepower, 9 less than the GT3 on account of the tighter exhaust setup. The GT3’s seven-speed PDK gearbox also makes the trip, and is the only transmission available for RS duty.

The whole thing weighs just 3,120 lb (1,415 kg); 11 lb less than a manual GT4, or 77 lb less than the equivalent PDK-equipped coupe. That’s with the enormous swan-neck rear wing—adjustable, too—wide, vented front wheelarches, and 20-inch wheels no less. In eye-searing Racing Yellow, the RS is a number sticker away from a grid lineup. It’s a predator stalking through prey in traffic. It looks awesome.

This was never going to be a regular review. It couldn’t be: a car like the GT4 RS needs a track to truly reveal itself. So I took it to the birthplace of one instead. Old meets new. Porsche Canada broke ground on a new Experience Centre up the road in Pickering, a location that will play host to a two-kilometer (1.25-mile) track come 2024. To celebrate, a green Taycan Cross Turismo flings the dirt up: the next chapter, indeed. It’s not something the GT4 RS is built for, so I park beside a matching yellow GT3. The similarities are obvious, from the wing to the millimeter-perfect stance.

I take the scenic route home, of course. It’s not like the rest of Porsche’s two-door lineup is known for their slow reflexes, but the GT4 RS excises what little slack was left. You don’t so much get behind the wheel as you do plug in. The wide 245/35 front tires follow every imperfection in the road, forcing the driver to keep a firm grip on that right-sized wheel, one brimming with feel. No mentally checking out here: the Cayman is giving you its best, damnit, and it demands the same from you. Turn-in is immediate, and the whole car follows with such precision that I let out little, involuntary laughs every few corners. The carbon-backed seat buzzes in time with the engine, and holds you in place while the Cup 2s challenge your simple understanding of physics. The GT4 RS is the opposite of a sensory deprivation chamber.

What’s the GT4 RS like to live with in the city? It’s sharing the stage with a trained tiger: you trust it, but you know its abilities vastly outstrip your own. The flat-six sucks down air from the vents where the rear quarter-windows used to be. I’ve experienced Porsche’s 9,000-rpm marvel twice before ( GT3 and GT3 Touring), but neither felt so feral, so savage. Yes, it has the same individual throttle bodies as the 911 version, enabling pin-sharp throttle response that borders on telepathic. But having the engine mere inches from your head introduces all new aural experiences. It’s internal combustion as theater: each flex of a toe altering the tone and timbre, producing a brazen braaaaap in the mid-range and a shrieking, all-encompassing battle cry in the last 1,000 rpm.

You have to commit when you want all the fireworks. A half-throttle on-ramp blast makes me sound like a learner when the RS encounters a bump and the revs flutter, my foot’s shake played out for all to hear. The PASM suspension is very stiff, even on its least aggressive setting; not surprising, given the model designation sticker (not badge) on the rear. When you know what the Cayman is capable of, it’s acceptable, but in the city, probably not ideal. The PDK does make heavy traffic a less daunting scenario than the surgical precision required in the three-pedal GT3 Touring, mind you.

Oh yes. Commitment. There’s this weird societal view of marriage as restricting. Look no further than the “last night as a free man” undercurrent (or overt theme) at so many bachelor parties. I’m not nervous about that: we’ve lived together for years. It’s the timing of the ceremony that’s got me, or whether I’ll be able to choke out my vows. I’m excited for our future, a future where I have to consider someone else’s needs, desires, and dreams as much as my own.

I’m excited for the EV future, too. The “no fun” crowd is wrong—the Taycan already proves it. The 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS marks the ultimate evolution of the combustion-engined sports car lineup that started in 1996 with the original Boxster. Should we mourn its impending loss? That seems premature to start: it’s here, it’s glorious, and we’ve still got a few years together. It is a milestone, the ultimate send-off worth the wait. Besides, the start of a new chapter doesn’t erase the last one. The next chapter is its own adventure.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.