Hear that? It’s the sound of the Porsche 911’s pedestal cracking. The plinth on which Porsche has ensconced the 911, safe from threats like the 914, 944, and, most recently, the mid-engine Cayman, has been heretofore unassailable. Browse the spec sheets of the 911 and the Cayman, and like models such as the S and GTS are carefully and conspicuously separated by their engine outputs, the 911 always coming out on top. With the new Cayman GT4, Porsche is for the first time allowing one of its lesser vehicles to encroach on the 911’s space. And what a glorious encroachment it has turned out to be.

We could talk about the wild aerodynamic bits and Porsche dropping barriers between its models, but we’ll get straight to the most important GT4 fact: 385 horsepower. With that output, the GT4 finally marries the outstanding Cayman chassis not only with a level of power it deserves, but a level of power it is capable of handling. Sure, the lab coats in Stuttgart have spent more than 50 years telling physics they “can’t even” and somehow gifting the 911’s far-from-ideal ass-engined layout something resembling docility, but a mid-engine sports car is inherently better balanced.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

In the GT4, power comes from a variant of the 911 Carrera S’s 3.8-liter flat-six. The engine is the biggest available in the Cayman lineup, and it’s 45-hp stronger than the GTS model’s 3.4-liter six. The suspension, according to Porsche, “consists almost entirely of components of the 911 GT3,” and combined with a 1.2-inch-lower ride height and dynamic transmission mounts, should improve on the Cayman’s already impeccable chassis performance. Porsche certainly used the GT3 for inspiration when it came time to design the GT4’s wild aerodynamic kit, which includes a huge fixed rear wing and a deep chin spoiler; the front fascia’s trio of cooling inlets also mimics the GT3 look.

Carbon-ceramic brakes are optional, as are carbon-fiber seat shells and a version of Porsche’s Sport Chrono lap-timer package with a new performance-tracking smartphone app. Standard gear includes leather and faux-suede sport seats, a sport steering wheel, and—unlike the 911 GT3—a six-speed manual transmission. Oh yes, eat your hearts out, GT3 early adopters.

View Photos MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

With nearly the same output as the 911 Carrera S but the same hard-core focus as the 911 GT3, the Cayman GT4 should easily outperform most of the 911 lineup. Porsche claims the newest Cayman can hit 183 mph and sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds. That acceleration figure is, like all of Porsche’s performance estimates, almost comically conservative. Our 325-hp long-term 2014 Cayman S reaches 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, and while Porsche hasn’t outlined specifics regarding the GT4’s weight, it’ll likely weigh less than any other Cayman. Figure on a sub-four-second zero-to-60 run once we strap our test gear to the car, considering we achieved 4.2 with a manual-equipped Cayman S.

Even swiping its suspension components from the GT3, the GT4 won’t exceed that 911’s on-track heroics. We’re told the GT4 matches the GT3’s 7 minute, 40 second Nürburgring lap time—the 2011 GT3’s, that is. Hey, Porsche, did you think we wouldn’t notice that the GT4’s 3.8-liter six makes 400 horsepower in the Carrera S, or that fitting the GT3’s PDK dual-clutch automatic could make the GT4 even quicker? Yet despite Porsche’s continued efforts to stymie the Cayman’s ultimate potential, the GT4—which will hit U.S. dealerships in July—creates a total mess for the GT3. That’s because at $85,595, the GT4 is nearly $50,000 cheaper than the GT3, and it comes with the manual so many enthusiasts pined for when the GT3 launched without one. Which would you choose as your track toy?

MARC URBANO, THE MANUFACTURER

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