The 380bhp Porsche Cayman GT4 is here

Is this the Cayman to rule them all? It just might be. In fact, it just might be the Porsche to rule them all. The most powerful production Cayman in history has been revealed: ladies and gentlemen, meet the GT4.

It's a serious bit of kit and, as such, requires some serious name-checking; Porsche references the gorgeous 904 GTS, the 911 GT1, the Carrera GT, and of course, the 918 Spyder.

Why? Because they're all mid-engined. And the engine in the middle of this Cayman GT4 is a peach, too. It's the 3.8-litre flat-six lifted from the 911 Carrera S, here producing 380bhp at 7,400rpm, making it the most potent Cayman ever: the Cayman GTS (here battling the BMW M4) makes 340bhp from its 3.4-litre unit.

It's matched to a six-speed manual, and only a six-speed manual. Porsche is not offering the PDK automatic gearbox as an option on this one, so it's a stick-shift with dynamic gearbox mounts as standard.

Power is, naturally, transmitted to those rear wheels, with Porsche claiming a 0-62mph time of just 4.4 seconds - a full half second quicker than the Cayman GTS - and top speed of 183mph.

There is also talk of a Nürburgring lap time of 7m 40s, which puts it in some very fast - though unofficial - company, like a Gallardo Superleggera, a Merc SLS, a 997 GT3, and faster even, than a 911 Turbo S. Yowser.

Such a stonking lap time hints at the Cayman GT4's uprated chassis. Porsche tells us the GT4's genetic makeup is shared with the 911 GT3, so it gets 30mm lower suspension, better brakes, and a large fixed rear wing that reduces lift and generates that lovely downforce. It weighs in at 1340kg, the same as a Cayman S.

There's also a mechanical limited-slip diff between the rear wheels, along with Porsche's torque vectoring system, stability management, a sports exhaust, 20in alloys, sports seats, leather/Alcantara trim, the Sport Chrono pack, and lots of connectivity.

The option remains to spec ceramic brakes, CFRP seats and the Club Sport pack, should you wish to exercise your green.

Speaking of which, you're probably wondering how much this little nugget of mid-engined Porsche weighs in at. Prices start at £64,451, which puts it at just under £10k more than a Cayman GTS. But look at it another way - it's just under £20k less than a 911 Carrera S, and around £35k cheaper than a 911 GT3.

It's been long rumoured that Porsche stymied the performance of the Cayman to prevent it trampling on the toes of big-brother 911. Now the sweetest mid-engined coupe you can buy has been let off the leash, should its rear-engined granddaddy be worried?

Is the Cayman GT4 - 918 arguably excepted - the new Porsche of choice?