Porsche is revealing another hot Cayman at the Los Angeles motor show.
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is the homologated, track-ready counterpart to the GT4 RS road car, which has also just been unveiled.
It’s available to order in Australia. Porsche says it has a starting price of €196,000 (A$304,183), and directs prospective customers to contact its motorsport department.
The most significant change is midship, where the 911 GT3 Cup race car’s 4.0-litre flat-six engine now sits.
It produces 367kW of power at 8300rpm, or 55kW more than the 3.8-litre in the previous GT4 Clubsport. Torque is up from 425Nm at 6600rpm to 465Nm at 6000rpm.
As in the GT4 RS, the Clubsport revs up to 9000rpm.
Porsche says the extra power can help it achieve lap times over two per cent quicker than the previous model, and it’s ready for use in SRO racing series around the world without any further changes being needed.
Power is sent to the road via a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, with all seven forward gears now useable. All gears also feature shorter ratios than the previous model.
Porsche says it has a “much wider usable speed band”, which it says makes it easier to drive for both pro racers and amateur drivers.
There’s been more than just changes under the engine shroud.
There are two-way adjustable shock absorbers and adjustable sword-type anti-roll bars front and rear, with the vehicle’s height, camber and toe all adjustable and three different spring rates available for the front and rear axle.
Porsche says its damper technology has been revised from the ground up in order to optimise responsiveness and body control, while its Porsche Stability Management System (PSM), designed specifically for motorsport, has been updated.
It includes a switch for traction control, ABS, and stability control.
NACA ducts in the bonnet help direct air flow to the 380mm steel brake discs, while there are 911 GT3 R-esque wheel arch vents in the wings plus air vents designed specifically to calm air turbulence around the front wheels.
The front dive planes and an extended front spoiler lip increase downforce at the front axle and the underbody is fully enclosed to ensure air flow to the rear diffuser.
Other aerodynamic features include a 20mm long Gurney flap for the swan-neck rear wing, plus two additional stages of adjustment.
There’s greater use of renewable, flax-based natural-fibre composite material than before, and this now includes the doors, wings, bonnet and even the steering wheel.
There’s a welded-in roll cage and fore-and-aft adjustable Recaro racing seat, and the six-point racing safety harnesses, safety nets, fire extinguisher system and built-in air jack system are all compliant with 2023 racing standards.
The FT3 safety fuel cell can hold up to 115L of fuel if you’re endurance racing, while if you’re racing at night the car is ready for the addition of homologated headlights and openings for fast refueling.
There are also two different exhaust systems – one is quieter, if you’re competing at tracks with stricter noise limits.
“We have incorporated our experience of the last three years of running the previous GT4 Clubsport as well as customer wishes into the development of the new car,“ said Michael Dreiser, Manager of Sales and Distribution at Porsche Motorsport.
“Faster lap times combined with a further improvement in driveability offer our customers a competitive product for the upcoming racing seasons in GT4 class racing competitions around the world.“
Porsche says its Clubsport models are sought after due to their low running costs, as they use proven series production technology in addition to racing-spec components.
The GT4 RS Clubsport is a follow-up to the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, which debuted in 2019. Around 500 units have been produced to date.
Porsche’s first Cayman Clubsport was the GT4 Clubsport of the previous 981 generation, introduced in 2016. 421 units were produced.
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MORE: Everything Porsche 718
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