It’s almost been 10 years since Porsche launched the Cayman in 2006 and for almost 10 years, Porsche aficionados have been firmly entrenched in debating its merits when stacked up against their flagship 911. As a die-hard Porsche lover, I’ve been in plenty of those debates myself. The honest truth is that most folks who have spent over 100K on their 911 don’t want to hear about how the Cayman (which starts at 60 grand) is an honest-to-Ferdinand competitor to the flagship. Any Cayman camper will gladly gush on how the Cayman has been deliberately neutered to keep the spotlight on Porsche’s flagship. I’m one of those folks myself.

With Porsche’s announcement of the new Cayman GT4, things in Porsche-land are about to get real. Porsche have taken the kid gloves off and have finally unleashed the Cayman to do battle on more even terms with its big brother 911.

We don’t have the in-depth details quite yet, but what we do know is enough to make any Porsche purist grit their teeth in anticipation. First off, unlike the 911 GT3, the Cayman GT4 transmits its 385-hp to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. According to Porsche, the Cayman GT4 runs the vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:40 – as fast as the 2011 911 GT3.

The GT4’s powerplant is a derivative of the 911 Carrera S and its 385 hp is good for a blistering 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds. As far as the chassis goes, Porsche says the chassis features a 30 mm lower ride height than its base Cayman brethren and offers up a generously sized brake system. Chassis parts consist almost entirely of components from the 911 GT3. Translation: It’s fast as all hell. It sits low. It has giant brakes and it’s made up of all the goodness from the GT3, a proven track weapon.

We’ll have more details on the GT4 come early March when it’s unveiled in the metal and flesh at the Geneva Motor Show. As for when you can have one, they’re slated to arrive in Canadian dealers in the third quarter of 2015. You’ll have to pony up $96,500 to get your foot in the door. The Cayman GT4 just may be the best street/track car you can buy with a full warranty for under $100,000. We’ll know more once we drive it. Until then, happy dreaming.

Cayman GT4

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