More hardcore Porsche variants to come from GT division

Porsche’s GT division is producing more vehicles than it ever has, but there’s still more to come from the German purveyors of motoring excellence.

Weissach’s family of models has grown by one with the recent addition of the Cayman GT4 RS, with the hardcore track variant sitting atop the 718 model line totem pole.

MOTOR has been in Portugal to drive the new Porsche Cayman flagship (our full review goes live March 23rd) and took the opportunity to grab longstanding GT division boss Andreas Preuninger for a chat.

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When discussing the decision to add the GT4 RS badge to the GT Division line-up, Preuninger noted his team won’t be stopping there.

“I think we pretty much spread out pretty good through the two sports car ranges [718 Cayman and Boxster, and 911) that we have with all the derivatives now opening up with the Touring as the driver's car side, and we have some more ideas for the future to come to even expand that a little bit, but stay true to the core,” he told MOTOR.

“Make it a motorsport product with motorsport technology.

“If not for the racer, then for the absolute diehard, enthusiast, and purist lover.

“So this is what GT is about, so we don't want to soften that up too much.”

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While that leaves scope for future 911, Cayman, and Boxster variants, Preuninger was also careful to point out that the GT division will continue to work exclusively with sports car model lines.

“Never say no [to more GT models], but I think it is restricted to the sports cars, so don't expect a Panamera GT car, because to be able to be credible, you need to sell or offer a motorsport variant. That's my belief,” he added.

Historically the pinnacle of Porsche GT products has been the bespoke supercar and hypercar halos.

Starting with the 959 in 1986, this was followed up with the Carrera GT 17 years later, and the most recent 918 Spyder being put into production a decade after that.

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This year marks seven years since the hybrid 918 ended production, and while Preuninger believes in the value of a GT halo product, he also remains pragmatic about its real-world production prospects.

“I would like to see a Porsche helicopter, I would like to see a Porsche spaceship!” he joked.

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has said the brand’s focus on electrification means a 918 successor is off the cards until 2025 at the earliest.

With no supercar development plans, Preuninger’s team is instead focussing on the remaining 992-generation 911 GT division products to be revealed like the GT3 RS.

“We have to concentrate on what we can do with the group of people that we have – that is not so much and not so many,” he explained.

“I think a halo car, like we did on 918 and Carrera GT, is always something at the right point in time to show off the capabilities, of engineering capabilities.

“But we are starting to bring more and more interesting technology even in other cars. Wait for the next GT3 RS.”

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Spy photography of the next-generation GT3 RS shows the rear-engined track weapon sporting larger than ever aerodynamic devices. When probed on the limits of aerodynamics for road cars, Preuninger reassured us that the large wings and spoilers on the GT3 RS won’t purely be for show.

“There's always limits coming from the forces involved, but you have to find a sweet spot of what is necessary, or what is usable, and what is just, let's say, has just boasting capabilities,” he said.

“There's a sweet spot for everything and we're looking at stuff from both sides using our experience from the track as well. So just stay tuned.”

Preuninger himself admits the next couple years will be the last of his working life after more than two decades leading Porsche’s GT division.

The decision to add new variants to the family will shore up his legacy as the man who took Weissach to new heights.