Porsche has a bit of a Cayman complex. You know what that is, right? The Cayman, being a mid-engine car, is a great platform for big power and track performance. Unfortunately, Porsche has to keep it down a little bit lower than its ultimate potential, because it can’t be faster or quicker or lap any given track better than a 911 can. The rear-engine 911 is Porsche’s ultimate, and has to maintain that top tier status. The mid-engine Cayman might actually be a better foundation from which to build a powerhouse of performance, but tradition, heritage, and sentimentality intervene.
Luckily for us, the aftermarket is not held to such restrictions, and DeMan motor sport has thrown the 911 standard out the window. The company wanted to build the ultimate Cayman, and did just that with its GT4.5. By taking a Cayman GT4 and building a 4.5-liter engine for it, the Cayman Complex is gone. Now the Cayman cannot only compete with the 911, but absolutely wax the floor with it. With 510 naturally-aspirated horsepower at the wheels (!) the DeMan Caymans have significant power and weight advantages over a brand-new 911 GT3, even.
Friend of the site Matt Farah took the GT4.5 for a rip, and instantly fell in love. “Right in the midrange, where it really counts, this thing is making serious, serious power,” says Farah. And he’s not wrong, as the GT4.5 out-torques a 2020 GT3 RS by over 100 lb-ft at 4,000 RPM. If you want to go quick, you go with big displacement. And of course DeMan messes with the transmission’s gearing, too, optimizing it for brutal acceleration. This could very well be the greatest water-cooled Porsche that Porsche never built. It’s not hard to see why such a thing would be great. Check out the full video for the full story.
You only really need to hear it shout once to understand its full potential. This little two-seater is a proper screaming Porsche. DeMan, you’ve outdone yourselves.
