Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS is now in Malaysia - Got RM1.5 million?

The model is powered by the same 500hp engine as the new 911 GT3

In addition to the new Porsche Centre Johor Bahru, Sime Darby Auto Performance, the sole distributor of Porsche vehicles in Malaysia also took the wraps off a brand new model in JB earlier this week, which is none other than the 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

The new flagship model in the 718 family, which is priced from RM1,550,000, is constructed with lightweight materials such as carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) for components such as the bonnet and front wings.

While the rear windows are made of lightweight glass, the door panels are also made of lightweight materials, bringing the weight of this two-seater to only 1,415 kg with a full fuel tank, making it 35 kg lighter than a PDK-equipped 718 GT4.

Power comes courtesy of the same naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine as the current 911 GT3, producing 500 PS and 450 Nm of torque. Paired to the engine that revs all the way up to 9,000 rpm is a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.

The GT4 RS’s gearbox takes all the tasty bits from the best GT models of recent times: gear set and axle ratio are from the 991.2 GT3 RS, the LSD is from the manual 991.2 GT3, the dual mass flywheel is from the 982 GT4 Clubsport and the ‘manual’ look shift selector is carried over from the 992 GT3.

In case you’re wondering how quick the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is, it accelerates from naught to 100 km/h in an impressive 3.4 seconds and clocks a top speed of 315 km/h.

While the chassis of the Cayman GT4 RS has been enhanced significantly over the regular Cayman with ball-joint suspension mountings, the car also features stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, as well as adaptive Bilstein suspension that makes the car 30 mm lower than the base Cayman.

The new fixed rear wing, its swan-neck attachment and aluminium wing supports are a distinctive element of the exterior design. Together with other aerodynamic upgrades, the GT4 RS generates approximately 25 per cent more downforce than the GT4 when in Performance mode.

The first-ever 718 prototype to carry the RS badge managed to go around the ‘Green Hell’ in 7:09.300 minutes and 7:04.511 minutes in the shorter 20.6km lap. This is 23.6 seconds faster than the standard 718 Cayman GT4, which means that the 718 Cayman GT4 RS prototype is one hell of an upgraded beast.