Porsche has taken the wraps off the 718 Cayman's racing edition: the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The race-ready coupe is effectually a vision of what we can expect from the upcoming Cayman GT4.
The new 718 Cayman GT4 is due at the end of this year. We assume Porsche is using the GT4 Clubsport race car to glean more data and knowledge to sharpen the road car. Porsche Motorsport builds the GT4 Clubsport to spec for race teams globally. It is said to be the first production racing car to feature natural-fibre composite body parts. Similar to carbon fibre, the lightweight material is used in the race car's wing and doors. The total weight reduction stands at 130kg, making the car lighter than a Cayman GTS.
Lighter Cayman is no good if it has a four-pot motor
The real piece of news is that Porsche is not plonking the regular four-cylinder engine of the 718 Cayman in the Clubsport. Purists can rejoice, for the GT4 Clubsport retains the old version's 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine. Under the Clubsport's hood, the six-pot engine makes 425hp, which is 40 horses more than before.Power is fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with a mechanical rear axle differential lock. We are hoping that the road-going Cayman GT4 gets 425 horses to play with, but not expecting this tall a power figure as such. Andreas Preuninger, head of GT car development at Porsche, said that the flat-six would be retained in this year's GT4 as well.
What else is good in the GT4 Clubsport?
The race car features front suspension taken from the 911 GT3 Cup car. 380mm race-spec steel brakes on all corners take care of the braking department. There is a single seat inside, and the interior is stripped to the are minimum. No luxuries find a place inside the cabin if they do not strictly help the car go faster. A welded-in roll cage, basic switchgear, and a racing seat with a six-point harness complete the racing package.
Finally, Porsche has also given the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport three-stage adjustable shock absorbers, a 115-litre endurance fuel tank, adjustable brake bias, an integrated air jack as well as a quick-release racing wheel. Expect a lot of the Cayman Clubsport cars to dominate circuits around the world this season.
