The head of Porsche's GT division rules out SUVs above GTS and combining the acronyms with all-wheel drive

Most mortals have to make do with seeing the new Porsche Cayman GT4 through official photos or its appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. But a group of lucky specialist journalists has already tested it on the track, where the full potential of this corner-devouring machine is truly unleashed.

On that same occasion, the US edition of Car and Driver took the opportunity to chat with the head of Porsche’s GT division, Andreas Preuninger. The central topic of the conversation, logically, was the Cayman GT4, which the brand expects to produce between 1,800 and 2,500 units for the whole world. However, there was also time to touch on other matters.

Starting with the plans he was able to confirm, or rather deny will happen, Preuninger guaranteed that no Porsche GT (GTS models are not included, presumably) with a naturally aspirated engine will be sold with all-wheel drive. The Stuttgart manufacturer has no intention of following the trend of other German compatriots that will offer this system on more high-performance models.

Preuninger points out that it adds too much mass to the car, is too complex, and simply doesn’t fit given the space taken up by the 90-litre fuel tank of the 911 GT3. This strategy also affects SUVs, once again setting it apart from other German brands.

The head of the GT division believes that each of these versions must have a racing counterpart, so, until competition derivatives of the Macan or Cayenne are created, the GTS versions will represent the most sporting thing their off-road models can aspire to.

Turning to what is still to be decided definitively, Preuninger has set himself the personal goal of letting GT customers choose between a manual gearbox or the PDK dual-clutch, rather than restricting them to one option. Overall, his ambition is for the former to end up across a wider range of products, since, although performance suffers slightly compared with the PDK, demand is large enough.

Porsche’s R&D head, Wolfgang Hatz, stated at the Detroit Motor Show in January that the new 911 GT3 RS has reached such a high level that the manufacturer is considering the option of dropping the GT2 and GT2 RS in the 991 generation. Preuninger agrees with that view and added, in statements to Car and Driver, that GT models will abandon turbocharging and only use naturally aspirated engines. In other words, it seems very unlikely that a GT2 will be launched again in the short or medium term.

In the coming years, the GT division will concentrate on building the Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS. From that point on, Preuninger stressed that Porsche will only grant those acronyms to models that truly deserve them, which must prioritise projects most in line with the philosophy of this range of more radical cars.

Source | Car and Driver