Intake
20 MOTORTREND.COM MAY 2020MAY 1990
PRICE: $3.
Our May 199 0 cover
went to the new
Lamborghini Diablo.
The successor to
the Countach, the
Diablo marked
Lambo’s move
into the ’9 0 s with a
5.2-liter naturally
aspirated V- 12
churning out 485
hp and 4 2 8 lb-ft of
torque, and more
important, it had a
202-mph claimed
top speed that
posed a direct chal-
lenge to the Ferrari
F4 0 and Porsche 959.MAY 2010
PRICE: $4.
The revolutionary
Hyundai Sonata led
our cover a decade
ago. A sign of things
to come, Hyundai
was among the first
to forgo naturally
aspirated V- 6
engines in its family
sedans in favor of a
more efficient yet still
powerful turbo-fours
in top trims.30
50
10
MAY 1970
PRICE: $0.
Our cover 5 0 years
ago was dedicated
to the four-cylinder,
twin-cam, 16-valve
Indy Car engine. This
issue also featured a
cheap-car test and
a Chevrolet Corvette
LT-1 vs. Porsche 911E
comparison. In theformer, the Buick
Skylark beat the
AMC Rebel, Pontiac
T-37, a n d Pl y m o uth
Satellite, as it was
the best all-around
driver despite its
slightly higher price
tag. In the latter,
the Porsche 911
just edged out the
Corvette due to
higher build quality
and future-proof
driving dynamics.From the MotorTrend
Archive ...REAR VIEW
NEWSI OPINIONI GOSSIP2021 Porsche Cayman
GTS 4.
L
ike GTS versions of other Porsche
models, the Cayman GTS is a cleverly
concocted mix of performance-
enhancing hardware and value-added
standard equipment wrapped in signa-
ture black-themed visuals. But what has
everyone talking is one thing only—the
engine. It displaces 4.0 liters. It has six
cylinders. And there’s not a turbo to be
found. Hallelujah!
The Cayman GTS is powered by what is
essentially a bored and stroked 992-series
engine, minus the turbochargers. Peak
power is 394 hp at 7,000 rpm, with peak
torque of 309 lb-ft available between 5,
and 6,500 rpm.
There’s more to the Cayman GTS than
the spec sheet suggests. The 4.0-liter
naturally aspirated engine gives the GTS
a deliciously nuanced top-end fluency
the turbo-powered Caymans simply can’t
match. Redlined at 7,800 rpm, it doesn’t
have the unworldly top-end zing of the
GT3 engine, which spins to 9,000 rpm,
but from 5,000 rpm up it feels joyously
exuberant, a driver’s delight.
For all that, the engine will pull crisply
from 35 mph in sixth gear—about 1,
rpm. And on light throttle between 1,
and 2,500 rpm, with torque demands of 75
lb-ft or less, the computer shuts down oneof the cylinder banks to help save fuel. It
alternates between either cylinder bank
every 20 seconds, and apart from a slight
change in engine note the whole process is
imperceptible to the driver. It’s a very easy
engine to live with day to day.
The six-speed manual transmission
has a lovely mechanical action. Second
gear is still way too long, able to take you
to at least 80 mph, but the 4.0-liter engine
seems to cope better with it.
The standard Cayman is a sweet,
beautifully balanced car, but the GTS’
standard PASM sport suspension endows
it with more grip and precision. Espe-
cially midcorner, where the car with the
standard suspension simply couldn’t
hang with the sport suspension version,
the front end pushing wide if you got on
the power too soon.
The naturally aspirated flat-six might
not have the charismatic air-cooled clatter
of an old-school 911 engine, but it delivers
the same easy, elastic surge of power.
Pricing wasn’t available at press time,
but we think $87,000 to $90,000 to start is
likely. Worth it? Well, if you want to drive
a modern Porsche with the emotional
quotient of a pre-turbo 911 and can’t
afford a GT3 or a GT4, the Cayman GTS is
an absolute steal. Angus MacKenzieFIRST DRIVE