  We present calibrated photometry and time-resolved spectroscopy of the
cataclysmic variable GZ Cnc. Radial velocities of the H-alpha emission line
reveal an orbital period of 0.08825(28) d, or 2.118(07) h, placing the system
at the lower edge of the period gap. One of our observations catches the system
on the rise to an overlooked, possibly small-amplitude, outburst. At certain
phases during this stage the profiles of the emission lines are distorted by a
high velocity absorption component. We discuss this phenomenon in the context
of the recent suggestion that the long-term lightcurve of GZ Cnc resembles
those of intermediate polars.
