RENDERED SPECULATION: IF The REFRESHED Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Looks Like THIS, Will You Be Seeking It Out?

I'd be interested if they dropped "718" that literally no one knows the meaning of aside from a few Porsche crazies in their 90s waiting to die.

Hell, if you need a number call it the 914!

The bigger question is will they drop 4 cylinder turbo for a N/A flat 6 in the next generation GT4. The current 718 is much maligned by Porsche "purists" because of its 4 cylinder engine. It's actually a superb sports car, and in it's "S" form, is fully capable of equaling the current generation GT4 on the track. But, Porsche has taken a lot of grief about the engine and may choose to go back to the 6 for the GT4.

I can't imagine the 4 cylinder being more thrifty given how Porsches are driven. There is no need for a car as expensive as a Cayman to have a 4 cylinder.

The 4 cylinder turbo is no thriftier on mpg than the 6, especially when you drive the snot out of them. Two reasons why they went to a 4T: 1) for U.S. market, to force customers up to the more profitable 911, if they want the flat 6 and the Porsche wail (albeit subdued with the std. turbo 6 engines) 2) in ROW, to get below the displacement tax issues.

All about marketing - not about economy.

I have a question of all - who buys their cars simply because of the way they LOOK? here. THere have been quite a number of threads started with "If the XXX looked like this - would YOU be standing in line to buy it". The fact is- I place performance over looks - never really liked driving Porsches compared to other high end sports cars (They tended to be a handful) - and they would have to produce a really stunning new design before I would call them good looking for the most part.

AS far as I am concerned - In a market where having current styling is almost a requirement - and staying with old styles is sure way to fail in the market - Porsche has been given almost carte blanch with its styling to remain the same decade after decade. If Ferrari has stayed with essentially the same styling for this long -they would never have lasted for anywhere near this long.

I think it goes both ways. There are some cars where the performance is great but the styling is terrible. Then there are great looking cars without the performance to back up the promise of the looks.

TomM: For me, the looks are a very important "make or break" criterion, but they are not the only one. I would not buy a car on looks alone, but looks alone would attract me to see if I could be pleased with owning it. I want to look at my car and feel that it's gorgeous, and not just "yeah, it's okay... it gets me from A to B."

On a similar note, looks alone can turn me OFF a vehicle, no matter how good its other characteristics might be.

I wanted the Continental solely for its looks. They could have put the 1.0 Ecoboost under the hood and I'd have been smitten with the styling alone. To my eyes the production Continental did not disappoint.

Hearing that it was essentially a Super Fusion, I did not assume it would be a premium experience, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Fusion is a tremendous car, don't get me wrong, but I was skeptical. I love the V6 TT and it drives as well as an A6 or an A8 though the ride is a bit more plush.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the performance.

Matt - can I say that IF the Continental ONLY came with a 1.0 liter engine - that a person who likes Vintage TVRs would probably NOT bought it?

The fact is - YOU knew that there would be a baseline of performance - and in looking for a Luxury car - you were not looking for great performance - your were looking for the style. Fact is - when I bought my CT6 =-I wanted a luxury car but did not want a Turbo engine - and that is hard to find these days. THe regular 6 cylinder in the CT6 provides more than enough performance - but there were many other reasons why I preferred the CT6 not the least of which was proximity of the dealer - but I certainly did not buy it ONLY for its looks. And I find it hard to believe that you bought a Continental ONLY for its looks as well.

Lastly - these "pictures" are renderings - and rarely actually depict the real thing that comes later. I have learned not to expect the renderings to be the actual vehicle. I know it will not actually look like that.

@TomM I knew that the Continental would not have come with a 1.0 Ecoboost. Perhaps you do not "get" exaggeration.

I was smitten by the style of the Continental and given that it was a "Super Fusion" I assumed it would be an OK-at-best drive. Totally the opposite; it's wonderful. The V6 TT is smooth and I was shocked by how good the whole package was given that it was rather hastily thrown together. The Continental is worth every penny of the asking price and fortunately you don't have to pay that to get one.

As for buying a car solely for looks...Have you ever driven a stock Jensen Interceptor? It's a gorgeous car, but a terrible drive. The steering wanders and the rear end can be unruly. Surgery can fix both, but I would drive a stock Interceptor solely for the looks.

I mean, people must buy the Miata solely for the looks because the performance is mediocre at best.

Today's Cayman and its Spyder variant are gorgeous to look at, and a pleasure to drive. I love their styling, and I don't need a rendering to make me like it more. I prefer genuine Porsche styling rather than someone's tweaks on that theme.

As for buying one, I prefer a 911 Carrera 4 for the AWD and additional usable space. Still, the Cayman is gorgeous and desirable for what it is!

previously, porsche has said that GT cars will be NA