Porsche 911 GT3 RS vs. Cayman GT4: Head To Head

Unless you plan on taking it swimming, you won’t learn much about a production car on a racetrack in the pouring rain. You can’t tell how proficiently its 772 lbs. of downforce glue it to the asphalt, or how its carbon ceramic brakes last after a day of severe punishment. And yet, when someone invites you to drive a 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 at Road Atlanta—even during the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia—you grab your rain jacket, curse at the gods, and climb aboard.

That’s what I did, anyway.

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS

First, the stats: The 911 GT3 RS boasts 500 horsepower from its 4.0-liter, naturally-aspirated flat-six. It’ll hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, routed through a lightning-fast PDK dual clutch transmission. There is no manual for 2016, and purists have wept. But fear not, rumor has it the stick will soon be back.

And that’s because the take rate in the Cayman GT4 shocked Porsche, causing a rethink of its strategy. The reason it arrived in GT4 trim is simple: It doesn’t have many competitors, thus engineers didn’t mind losing a few tenths of a second in the name of engagement. And that’s what the Cayman GT4 is all about—thrilling the driver with its 385 horsepower while providing a truly usable level of performance, regardless of where you’re driving.