Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder, 718 Cayman GT4 revealed

The names might be familiar, but the hotter new 718 Cayman and Boxster have been given a thorough working over compared to the standard 718 range, let alone their predecessors.

Gone is the turbocharged flat four from the regular 718, replaced with a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six from the raciest Porsche engineers, the ones hidden away at the GT department in Weissach. Both cars now send 309kW and 420Nm to the rear wheels, both have an 8000rpm redline, and the only transmission on offer is a six-speed manual.

Top speed is 301km/h in the Spyder and 304km/h in the GT4, and both will hit 100km/h in 4.4 seconds from standstill.

The GT4 (pictured in yellow) features, as you can see, a pretty impressive aerodynamics package. It wears a towering rear wing, and has a much larger rear diffuser than before, the latter of which is allowed by a new design for the exhaust silencer.

Up front is an ankle-breaking splitter, working with 'air curtains' to balance the downforce from the rear axle.

Although it has a more sedate aero package than the Cayman, it still gets an aggressive front end, a pop-up rear spoiler and a chunky rear diffuser. Porsche says it's the first Boxster to create downforce on the rear axle.

It's not all about outright speed, though. Porsche proudly trumpets the fact it'll shut down one cylinder bank on light throttle applications, essentially turning your GT4 into a three-cylinder.

Under the skin, both the GT4 and Spyder share a full 'motorsports' chassis, a first for the Spyder. There's a PASM suspension setup that's 30mm lower than stock, and there's a mechanical locking differential with torque vectoring on the rear axle to help mete out the engine's grunt.

The GT4 is also available with a Clubsport Package, which adds a set of racing bucket seats, a roll cage, and a driver's six-point harnesses to the interior. A set of carbon-ceramic brakes are available on both GT4 and Spyder, too.

In Australia, standard kit will be generous on both cars. Bi-Xenon lights with active high-beam, parking sensors, a reversing camera, navigation, and dual-zone climate control will be included on both, along with heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

Australia

The 718 Cayman GT4 will be priced from $218,800 before on-road costs, the 718 Boxster Spyder from $209,900. Deliveries are scheduled to commence during the first quarter of 2020.