First drive 2016 Porsche GT 4

Pedro · 02-06-2016, 10:29 PM

My best mate who's not short of a dollar, phoned around 8.30 pm and told me he'd picked up his new toy this afternoon and if I wasn't doing anything - would I like to come for a drive. OK I said - what the new toy? Porsche GT 4 he says. WTF! I'm already running down the stairs I said.

I changed into "going for a drive in a Porsche" clothes and picked up my camera and a few minutes later he turned up. I opened the door and sank in (literally), the seating is so low, it's like go-kart.

It's powered by the 3.8 l flat six from the 911 Carrera S, with a six speed manual box and weighing under 1400 kgs it gets up and boogies. Rather than go through the mechanicals you can read up on it here ... http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review

He pulled into a well lit shopping centre car park so I could get a good look at it and take some pics.
Guess what? I'd forgotten to recharge my camera after spending last week-end at the GT championships at Phillip Island and it was flat as a maggot. No worries I said - I'll use my poxy Sony phone. Guess what again ... Windows 10 doesn't support Sony phones!! So sorry guys, no pics, but I'll get some next week.

**GO FURTHER** · 02-06-2016, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

Windows 10 doesn't support Sony phones!! So sorry guys, no pics, but I'll get some next week.

You could always email the photos from your phone to your computer

Stefan · 02-06-2016, 11:48 PM

Your mate's a tight **** That's not a Porsche....the only Porsche I know starts with a 9 and ends with an 11...

Better than my Porsche though it's 1:18

Silver' · 03-06-2016, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Your mate's a tight **** That's not a Porsche....the only Porsche I know starts with a 9 and ends with an 11...

Better than my Porsche though it's 1:18

Is it the additional weight or the inferior weight distribution that you find so compelling about the 911? The back seats perhaps?

911 has never been the best sports car that Porsche could build. It's rear engine and (usually) 4 seats have always held them back.

The GT4 is a superior sports car to any 911 other than perhaps a GT3, unless you happen to dislike a balanced chassis and the superior steering that the GT4 offers.

But don't take my word for it...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-revi...4-review-36281

http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/p...dr/first-drive

http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/cayman-gt4

**Giant Cranium** · 03-06-2016, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver'

Is it the additional weight or the inferior weight distribution that you find so compelling about the 911? The back seats perhaps?

911 has never been the best sports car that Porsche could build. It's rear engine and (usually) 4 seats have always held them back.

The GT4 is a superior sports car to any 911 other than perhaps a GT3, unless you happen to dislike a balanced chassis and the superior steering that the GT4 offers.

But don't take my word for it...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-revi...4-review-36281

http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/p...dr/first-drive

http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/cayman-gt4

Yeh he was clearly being sarcastic

Silver' · 03-06-2016, 02:56 AM

I'm happy to take your word on that. Maybe I've been talking to Americans too much and it's thrown my sarcasmometer out of whack!

**Giant Cranium** · 03-06-2016, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver'

I'm happy to take your word on that. Maybe I've been talking to Americans too much and it's thrown my sarcasmometer out of whack!

it is tough with americans, try being an extremely sarcastic australian living there! i get a lot of blank faces

Stefan · 03-06-2016, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver'

Is it the additional weight or the inferior weight distribution that you find so compelling about the 911? The back seats perhaps?

911 has never been the best sports car that Porsche could build. It's rear engine and (usually) 4 seats have always held them back.

The GT4 is a superior sports car to any 911 other than perhaps a GT3, unless you happen to dislike a balanced chassis and the superior steering that the GT4 offers.

But don't take my word for it...
http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-revi...4-review-36281

http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/p...dr/first-drive

http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/cayman-gt4

Yes I was being sarcastic!

But comparing a Caymen to a 911 like you are is like comparing Miley Cyrus to Barbara Streisand.....your respect is required.

Pedro · 03-06-2016, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Yes I was being sarcastic!

But comparing a Caymen to a 911 like you are is like comparing Miley Cyrus to Barbara Streisand.....your respect is required.

Actually, the only thing Caymen about GT 4's is the centre section. The front clip and rear including the rear suspension is 911.

Silver' · 03-06-2016, 08:08 AM

No doubt, but I find it difficult to worship 911 for a number of reasons.
1. Porsche themselves have tried to retire the 911 platform (928), and for good reason.
2. For me, race cars are the ultimate interpretation of a sports car, and no-one in their right mind would design a purpose built race car with a rear engine configuration.
3. Both the 911's that I've driven, tried to kill me.
4. I own a poor mans Porsche, so I don't really want to anyway

Stefan · 03-06-2016, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

Actually, the only thing Caymen about GT 4's is the centre section. The front clip and rear including the rear suspension is 911.

How is the ride in the GT4? I have a Porsche nut at work and he hates the 911GT3. He says it's simply a race car with number plates and simply a complete not a car you live with.

Is the GT4 a cup car or just a Cayman with some tweaks like a FPV, HSV, AMG et al.

Wretched · 03-06-2016, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

How is the ride in the GT4? I have a Porsche nut at work and he hates the 911GT3. He says it's simply a race car with number plates and simply a complete not a car you live with.

Is the GT4 a cup car or just a Cayman with some tweaks like a FPV, HSV, AMG et al.

Porsche take their GT series cars very seriously. No sticker packs here.

Quote:

...Much of the GT4's suspension is taken from the GT3. The front end is particularly similar, with the same parts number on the forged aluminum wishbones where you can adjust the camber. The uprights are the same between the GT3 and the GT4, as are the stabilizers and the stabilizer settings.

Even better than what you get in the GT3, however, are the roll bars. The front and rear roll bars are both adjustable, so you can soften the front on its three settings and stiffen the rear on its three settings to give yourself a very slippy setup. That's what Chris Harris uses in the video.

There are also ball bearings at the top mounts, between the uprights and the lower wishbones, and between the wishbones and the front subframe.

http://jalopnik.com/why-the-porsche-...the-1690394466

mcnews · 03-06-2016, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

How is the ride in the GT4? I have a Porsche nut at work and he hates the 911GT3. He says it's simply a race car with number plates and simply a complete not a car you live with.

Is the GT4 a cup car or just a Cayman with some tweaks like a FPV, HSV, AMG et al.

I had a 911 GT3 for three days and did plenty of flogging in the mountains, highways and general driving. I would have it as an everyday do everything car. It was perfection, it even got good fuel economy on the transport sections where speed limit needed to abided by. I found it comfortable, the ride spot on, taut but controlled, I love the feeling of suspension that works, where you feel every ripple but that every ripple being sublimely damped through both compression and rebound. The manual shift was perfect, the pedals perfect, the steering. I could not fault it one bit and would happily drive one every day, everywhere. I expected a lot, it completely surpassed my expectations. After the GT3 I had the Ford GT Supercar thingo with the blown 5.4, that was a steaming pile of crap in comparison to the GT3, was pretty though....

A GT4 Cayman is a truly beautiful thing, and something along those lines I might even have to get myself one day, couldn't stretch to a GT3, but a Cayman S or the like is in my future.

DBourne · 03-06-2016, 02:25 PM

Would happily sell my man berries for a Cayman GT4, absolutely love them.

So I hate you.. in the nicest possible way.

Pedro · 03-06-2016, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

How is the ride in the GT4? I have a Porsche nut at work and he hates the 911GT3. He says it's simply a race car with number plates and simply a complete not a car you live with.

Is the GT4 a cup car or just a Cayman with some tweaks like a FPV, HSV, AMG et al.

The ride was firm, but no firmer than an Audi beast my mate owns. I would be comfortable using it as a daily driver, except it scraped on a speed bump in the shopping centre car park with two of us in it. (just goes to show it's not a shopping car). LOL

Still trying to get the pics out of my efn phone.

Stefan · 03-06-2016, 03:19 PM

I hear you and I think I could live with a Porsche GT car no problem. I've stated many times ford should have built a fg gtho in the same vein as the GT3. Just a stripped out cup car.

And yes even my old crappy A3 ride is firmer than my f6, my mates A4 is the same, and neither are S or RS cars.

Express · 03-06-2016, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

And yes even my old crappy A3 ride is firmer than my f6, my mates A4 is the same, and neither are S or RS cars.

Yeah, too many soft drivers around these days, the AMGs and M cars also make the Fords and Holdens feel like yachts.