Porsche Needs 100 Buyers To Make The Cayman GT4 Rally Car Happen

Okay, so who's in?

Last August we learned of the existence of Porsche’s Cayman GT4 rally car, based on the outgoing 718 Cayman GT4. It looked incredible. Unfortunately, we couldn’t confirm whether or not it was slated for production, even in limited numbers.

Fortunately, Top Gear received an answer from Porsche’s motorsport chief Frank-Steffen Walliser. “We had drivers, teams, fans, everybody excited (about the GT4 rally car)”, he said. “Even the WRC’s top five drivers all wanted to drive it. It’s pure rear-wheel drive and just the sound of the car as it comes through the woods, it’s really loud.” Walliser and his team even built a demonstration model to get “some experience, (and) how to set up and where to put a spare wheel. What to do with tires, everything.” So, why not build it?

Well, Porsche wants to, though under one condition: “We need to sell 100 to get the green light,” Walliser said. The prototype built has, more or less, resolved all outstanding mechanical and technical questions, thus making a production version good to go. But this business, and any business has to make money. Porsche’s bean counters have done the math and concluded the minimum number of buyers required. So, any takers out there?

If you need any additional convincing, Walliser also told Top Gear why the Cayman was chosen to be transformed into a rally car. In short, its size. “Just by the width of the car, the Cayman helps because it fits exactly the WRC track.”

Furthermore, it sounds like there's a solid chance the GT4 will race, assuming it’s built. “We are in conversations with the FIA about the RGT category. I expect if we enter a category, others will follow.” To be clear, Porsche has no intention of running its own rally team. A Dakar rally return is also ruled out. The Cayman GT4 rally car would be solely for private teams.

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The Audi Q4 Will Launch In 2019 Because The World Needs More Crossovers

Set to rival the likes of the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2.

As part of its ambitious expansion plans, Audi has confirmed that the Q4 crossover will be launched in 2019. As suspected, the baby SUV will borrow design cues from the Audi TT Offroad Concept that debuted at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. Speaking from its HQ in Ingolstadt, Germany, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said, "We offered a preview of this type of vehicle with the Audi TT Offroad Concept study three years ago," according to Automotive News.

Like the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2, the Audi Q4 will combine the utility of an SUV with the good looks and sporty appeal of a coupe. The TT Offroad Concept featured a plug-in hybrid powerplant, combining a 2.0-liter turbo-four with a pair of electric motors. However, the Q4 will almost certainly utilize the same engine as the Q3, a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. There’s no word on which markets will get the Q4, but we’d be staggered if the US wasn’t one of them given both the Q3 and Q5 are sold here.

Following its hugely positive reception at both the Detroit and Geneva motor shows, the Audi Q8 is set to go on sale in 2018, followed by the Q4 a year later. The Q5 will receive a facelift later this year and the Q2 is going to be offered in new markets, while the all-new A8 and A5 will also hit dealers this year. An all-new second-generation A7 will launch next year too. Audi will soon have enough models to reach its target of 14 RS models in the next 18 months.

Audi Now Has All It Needs To Build Supercar-Killing RS8

We’ve seen the RS7 put the hurt on many supercars, so why can't an RS8 model take over the same duties?

Even though Mercedes builds a ridiculous AMG S63 sedan and coupe and even offers twin-turbo V12 AMG S65 versions of each, there’s a reason you never see those cars turn up to a track day. It’s because they're nothing but playthings for rich people, much like a pet leopard or Pablo Escobar’s Hacienda Nápoles. BMW and Audi refuse to compete in this arena because it’s a highly impractical one and the cost of entry is high. However, now that Porsche and Audi are tech partners, an RS8 is not as far-fetched.

If Audi is feeling confident, it might give the new A8 to the Audi Sport division for some fine tuning with the help of access to Porsche’s parts bin, but until that happens we have to rely on the imaginative eye of Piesert Design. News of the Audi S8 and its Porsche derived 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 has landed on our desks, but Peisert went right ahead and spec’d out an RS8. To make that a more practical proposition, Peisert exchanged the metal roof for carbon fiber and then added the rest of the characteristic RS features like oval exhaust pipes, and aggressive front and rear end bumpers that Audi’s Sport Performance Parts wing would be happy with.

Larger wheels painted in a dark hue match the grille and trim while contrasting with a striking shade of Sonoma Green ripped from the debut version of the RS5. The S8 will be quick in its own right, pushing upwards of 530 horsepower out to all four wheels (or two if we’re lucky), but rumors state that the Four Rings is also working on an S8 Plus that will utilize a similar drivetrain setup to the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. If Audi sticks with that naming convention and forgoes an actual RS8 model, we'd consider it the equivalent. Let’s hope Audi sees a reason to cut into the Panamera’s sales frenzy because a supercar killing RS8 would be an object of upmost desire.

To see how Piesert’s masterpiece came together, check out this step by step recreation here.

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The Audi Q4 Will Launch In 2019 Because The World Needs More Crossovers

Set to rival the likes of the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2.

As part of its ambitious expansion plans, Audi has confirmed that the Q4 crossover will be launched in 2019. As suspected, the baby SUV will borrow design cues from the Audi TT Offroad Concept that debuted at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. Speaking from its HQ in Ingolstadt, Germany, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said, "We offered a preview of this type of vehicle with the Audi TT Offroad Concept study three years ago," according to Automotive News.

Like the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2, the Audi Q4 will combine the utility of an SUV with the good looks and sporty appeal of a coupe. The TT Offroad Concept featured a plug-in hybrid powerplant, combining a 2.0-liter turbo-four with a pair of electric motors. However, the Q4 will almost certainly utilize the same engine as the Q3, a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. There’s no word on which markets will get the Q4, but we’d be staggered if the US wasn’t one of them given both the Q3 and Q5 are sold here.

Following its hugely positive reception at both the Detroit and Geneva motor shows, the Audi Q8 is set to go on sale in 2018, followed by the Q4 a year later. The Q5 will receive a facelift later this year and the Q2 is going to be offered in new markets, while the all-new A8 and A5 will also hit dealers this year. An all-new second-generation A7 will launch next year too. Audi will soon have enough models to reach its target of 14 RS models in the next 18 months.