2020 PORSCHE CAYMAN

Three small numbers. Might not seem like much, but they’re significant. Because in adding these to the Cayman and Boxster model nameplates in 2016, Porsche signalled a switch from naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines to turbocharged 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre flat fours.

These are hardly slow – even the lowest-powered 2.0-litre model can muster 300hp – but they do lack a certain amount of aural drama. Of course, the Cayman in 718 guise remains as beautifully precise and agile as ever (although you might want to take a spin in an Alpine A110 GT if you like your coupes slender and fleet of foot). Meanwhile, the turbocharged engines provide a useful boost in low-down torque and slightly better fuel economy.

But they just don’t stir your soul in the way the six-cylinder Caymans do. Still, if you like your Porsches with glorious, barking flat sixes instead of rather more subdued four-cylinder turbocharged engines, then the Cayman 718 can still oblige, with GTS, GT4 and GT4 RS versions coming equipped with a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre powerplant. You will have to pay for the privilege though: six-cylinder Caymans are significantly more expensive than the flat-four models.