What Would You Drive? 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 Vs. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3

Feb. 10, 2015 4:20 PM ET by Jay Traugott Comparison / 55 Comments

Little brother catches up to one of its many big brothers.

Both are powered by a 3.8-liter flax-six. Six-speed manual gearboxes are also standard. Large, fixed rear wings and numerous other aerodynamic elements are in abundance. The new 2016 Cayman GT4 and the not-so-new 2011 911 GT3 are driver-focused, track-enhanced, and fully street-legal machines and yet they're somewhat competitors. It's common knowledge that Porsche has deliberately held back on the Cayman's full capabilities from the get-go, but now we're seeing a pattern emerging.

The most track-focused Cayman will essentially match the previous generation 911 GT3. Porsche already claims the Cayman GT4 achieved the same lap time on the North Loop of the Nurburgring as the 2011 911 GT3: 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Yet many still believe the current Cayman, if properly outfitted, could take down today's 911 GT3. Well, perhaps not the upcoming GT3 RS. Still, why bother buying the previous 911 GT3 when there's the new Cayman GT4? Little brother has finally caught up.