Other than the gearing the main glaring fault found with the
Cayman GT4
was Porsche's cautious projections about how many people were likely to buy it. When we asked boss Matthias Muller at the Geneva unveiling he said they'd make as many as demand required. But the demand seems rather have been greater than Porsche expected.
Only 129 cars allocated to the UK
And if you wanted to bag one of the 129 cars allocated to the UK you needed to have had prior warning and a cosy relationship with your local Official Porsche Centre. Anecdotal evidence would point to many of those orders coming from 997 GT3 owners disillusioned by the PDK-only 991 and viewing the Cayman as the true successor to the 'proper' GT lineage.
Meaning it was tough luck if you instead saw it as a newly accessible route into GT Porsche ownership, especially when deposit holders were informed by dealers 2016's allocation would likely be even smaller. Good news for speculators, those with build slots and anyone selling a 997 GT3 of course, prices seemingly given a further boost. Bad news for anyone with their heart set on a GT4.
But discussion following our test of it against the
Lotus Exige Cup
has raised rumours of those deposit holders getting follow-up letters from OPCs telling them in response to demand production will be increased and they may yet get a car.
Any truth in it? We asked Porsche GB. "We have always said this is not a limited edition model," said a spokesman. "This is a specialist model with some specialist components, and because of that is produced, understandably, at a slower rate than, say, a Cayman S. So the numbers made will be limited in that regard.
"At the model's announcement, interest from both prospective buyers and the media was extremely high," he admitted. "However, as the Cayman GT4 is a model with no predecessor and therefore more difficult to gauge its true demand than, say a new GT3, our network was ultra-cautious in terms of numbers. Now, with demand settled at a natural, clearer level, there is a better chance of a prospective customer being able to obtain a GT4."
Posers can look elsewhere
Porsche is treading a fine line here, aware that an aura of mystique has grown around the GT4 and the exclusivity attached to it will be an important part of its legend and future value. Hence a refusal to confirm "specific numbers" and assurance "the GT4 will remain a very exclusive model."
Clear as mud there then. Possibly good news for anyone who wants a GT4, possibly bad news for anyone banking on reaping a hefty premium for a build slot or delivery miles car. There aren't any actual cars in the classifieds at the moment, more the sense people still aren't quite sure if ever-inflating GT3 prices will drag the GT4 with them or the hype will subside and values settle.
Our advice? If you've got a GT4, or confirmation your order will be fulfilled, just drive the wheels off it and enjoy every minute.