Porsche 718 Cayman GTS

There’s so little about this car with which to find fault that the use of the number 718 in its name may very well constitute the only sand in the Vaseline.

A few years ago, Porsche sought to big-up engine downsizing through genuflection to the flat-four racing 718s of the mid-20th century. 2.0 and 2.5 litre Caymans in the current range still sport the less than sonorous four cylinder turbo, but now that this model has returned to the full complement of six conventionally-aspirated cylinders, why must it remain shackled by 718 badging? Perhaps to prevent the hapless buyers of lesser Caymans thus branded from feeling quite so queasy…?

In the couture department, the only thing ever reprehensibly wrong with the first Cayman was the plastic, jelly bean-shaped air intake in front of the rear wheel arch it shared with the Boxster. But since that was (almost) sorted the exterior design is nigh-on faultless; a stunning car. If lamp clusters are a designer’s only exterior opportunity to hint at the technological marvels within, then GTS 4.0 rear lights suggest the presence of nothing less than fusion drive.

On board, there’s a fabulous single-mindedness about the driving position; perfect sizing of an uncluttered helm, and brake and throttle pedals positioned to perfection, allowing even the most ham-footed to become a heel and toe deity. Lob in bullet-proof Porsche switchgear and lovely, rev counter-dominated analogue instrumentation with a smear of LED tech in the third cowl for repetition of centre console screen contents, and you have the ideal set-and-forget cockpit environment for simply getting on with it.

Getting on with it is abetted by the glorious 4.0 litre, six-cylinder unit nicked from the Cayman GT4, output lowered by 20 bhp to 394 bhp in order to leave just a little air between GTS and its big-winged sibling. A very little air; the latter’s 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds is only 0.1 seconds slower that the former, and it will smear on to the full George of 182 mph.

Via standard-fit six-speed manual transmission, maximum power doesn’t arrive until 7000 rpm and you must wait until 5000 rpm for the unit to unleash the full 310 lb ft of torque. so the car doesn’t really start to fly until the needle has passed the vertical and the accompanying noises off have developed that intoxicating howl the repeated hunting down of which hallmarks the GTS and GT4 experience, rather than the entire Cayman range of yore.

Whilst the deliciously mechanical short-throw six-speed manual gear change beguiles with its slickness and accuracy, one can’t help wondering slightly at the overtly long gearing. If, along with cylinder deactivation, it’s designed promote fuel efficiency, forget it. There can’t be many who wouldn’t be prepared to sacrifice being able to do 90 mph in second if it meant they have more opportunities to experience the flat-six at full chat in fourth.

Other pleasing technology accompanying the new engine includes standard-fit adaptive dampers and a ride height lowered by 20 mm, active engine mounts, the Sport Chrono pack -which adds four driving modes selected by the only switchgear to clutter the steering wheel and a dashboard-mounted stopwatch- and a mechanically locking rear differential.

The latter addition is interesting, not least because, when asked why the original, 2005 Cayman S did not have a limited slip differential to further bolster its already remarkable levels of traction, the car’s chief chassis engineer said simply, ‘Because if it did, it would be quicker across country than a 911…’

Deployment of that particular gauntlet pending, the delicious linearity of its ergonomically superb controls makes the GTS a sublime drive, excelling in every department.

Superb steering, gear changes as easy as flicking dead flies off a window sill, exquisite handling with outstanding agility and grip, brakes bested only by a brick wall and a sublime, truly supple ride quality that reinforces an effortlessly sinuous fluidity of progress which turns the sweeping bends of the average A road into a relentlessly exhilarating experience with a soundtrack to match.

Better yet, at £64,480 the GTS 4.0 seems something of a bargain by Porsche pricing standards. Not least because I failed to identify one of the £10,000-worth of non-drive-enhancing extras bolted to the specimen I drove with which you could not do without: interior tweakage worth over three grand constituting the biggest culprit, followed by shouty Python Green paint valued at aver £1,500… truth is, everything you really need is included from the off. And, unusually for a mid-engined machine, that includes sufficient luggage space to not only pander to the missus’ full Imelda on your travels, but also still have room in the frunk for enough Cotes du Rhone to keep you off the straight and narrow for an age.

So, fabulous to drive at all times, in all weathers, and utterly addictive, the GTS 4.0 turns even a trip to the corner shop to buy cat food and corn plasters into an automotive adventure. I can only reiterate what I said when the third generation Cayman S swept the board in its category of the UK Car of the Year Awards. The correct answer to the pub bore’s ‘If you could only have one car…’ question.