It’s safe to say that the 981 generation Porsche Cayman GT4 was an excellent road car. It had good power, brakes, suspension, sound, and most importantly a 6 speed manual transmission. It’s no wonder everyone loved it. It was pretty fast too. Thanks to its low curb weight and 385 hp 3.8 liter flat 6 engine from the 911 Carrera S, the GT4 made the 0-60 sprint in 4.1 seconds and topped out at 183 mph; certainly no slouch. Thanks to its mid engine layout, handling was exceptional too.
But it didn’t stop there because just after the GT4 was unveiled, Porsche Motorsport got their hands on one and voila, the Cayman GT4 Clubsport was born. Much like the newer GT2RS Clubsport, the GT4 Clubsport was a track only racecar version of the Cayman GT4. With a stripped out interior, race ready gearbox, and other little racy bits here and there, the Cayman GT4 Clubsport was ready to put an instant smile on any track day enthusiast’s face. Porsche sold 421 of these racecars before production ended, a pretty large number.
For the 718 Cayman Porsche is doing things a bit backwards this generation with its revealing of the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport first; the road car is yet to be seen. For the second time around, the 718 Clubsport uses the now discontinued 3.8 liter engine from the previous generation GT4, except now with a revised intake manifold that brings a 40 hp increase (385 hp-425 hp). Like the previous generation, the new 718 Clubsport features a stripped out interior, a FIA spec roll cage, bucket seat, and a six point racing harness to keep the driver in place during hard corners. The 718 GT4 Clubsport also features the same light weight spring strut front suspension used in the 911 GT3 Cup Car.The new 718 GT4 Clubsport is also the first production racecar to use body parts made from natural fiber composite materials like flax and hemp fibers. With properties comparable to that of carbon fiber, these new natural fiber composite materials have been used to construct both the wing and doors of the new 718 Clubsport. Because of this and other weight saving features, the new 718 GT4 Clubsport tips the scales at just 2,910 lbs.
Also available this time around is the choice of two different variants for the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Amateur track day enthusiasts can opt for the $154,743 Trackday variant with fixed shock absorbers, air conditioning, electronic stability control, and traction control. For more experienced and even professional racing drivers, Porsche has the Competition version with 3 way adjustable shocks, and a more adjustable brake system. The Competition also features a massive 30.3 gallon fuel tank to cope with long distance events. Both variants are built to race with FIA certified parts.
But let’s be honest, most of us here aren’t looking to buy a full-fledged racecar, we’re more into street cars (i.e. the 718 Cayman GT4). If that’s the case, the Clubsport offers us lots of insight into what the GT4 roadcar will be like, except for one thing…the engine. Porsche has stated that the engine used in the Clubsport will not be the engine used in the roadcar. But Porsche has also stated it won’t be a turbocharged 4 cylinder like all the other 718 cars. By process of elimination, we can infer that the new 718 Cayman GT4 will feature a likely detuned version of the 4.0 liter naturally aspirated flat 6 engine found in the 911 GT3. I can’t wait!
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