Do you want to hear the roar of the new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4? Grab some popcorn, turn up the volume and hit play

The world of sports cars has always been characterised by offering a heavenly soundtrack, capable of making the hair on your skin stand on end and putting a grin from ear to ear at dawn. However, over time turbocharged engines and technology have taken care of producing backfires, pumping sound through speakers and generating a certain outrage towards the mechanics of yesteryear. Fortunately, there are still brands faithful to pure, raw sound, with Porsche and its newly unveiled 718 Cayman GT4 being a clear example of this.

It is true that supercharged powerplants have managed to achieve a sound worthy of admiration, something Mercedes-AMG demonstrates with its delightful twin-turbo V8. But I think we would not be lying if we admit that naturally aspirated engines have a natural charm reflected in their sonority, in that ability to rev freely and without disdain right up to the limiter, in the way they deliver their power…

The first-generation Cayman GT4 set the bar very high, causing many fans of the brand and the model to fear what might happen with its second iteration. After turbocharging arrived in nearly all variants of the 911, many thought the next 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder would succumb to this component, but that has not been the case.

The naturally aspirated six-cylinder horizontally opposed (boxer) engine still makes an appearance in the guts of the German sports car, and we are grateful for that. This powerplant produces 420 CV and 420 Nm of torque, figures that allow the GT4 to pass the 300 km/h barrier without much fuss and reach 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds.

But all these performance credentials are wrapped up in one fundamental element that will allow its owners to forgive the Stuttgart sports car for anything: its sound. The sweet melody that the 718 Cayman GT4 emanates will make any excuse good enough to go for a drive in it, since it keeps alive the characteristic metallic, piercing melody of six-cylinder boxer engines.

https://youtu.be/1Q2pRCbLyOI

Without a doubt, the arrival of the latest generation of the 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder gives hope to the purists. This is because it is very possible that the 992-generation GT3 and GT3 RS will also turn to naturally aspirated engines, a clear sign that hybrid, supercharged, electric and naturally aspirated powertrains can coexist in peace and harmony under one roof.