Porsche is hitting the Los Angeles Auto Show in a big way this year and taking center stage is a drool-inducing gray and yellow beauty on four Michelins. The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the German automaker's latest entry-level track car. Once you've seen it, you'll have to grab some gear. It's race time.
If you'll recall, we fawned over the shapely bodywork of the Cayman GT4 when it was introduced earlier this year. That race-focused beauty is a blend of street worthiness and track readiness. Now Porsche has taken that Cayman GT4 and made a Clubsport out of it.
Powered by the same 3.8-liter flat-six engine as the other GT4, the Clubsport runs the 385 horsepower (283 kW) of that mid-mounted growler through an exclusive modified six-speed Porsche double-clutch transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel. A mechanical rear-axle locking (race-spec) differential has also been added. The front axle from the road-going GT4 has been removed and replaced with the lightweight strut front axle of the 911 GT3 Cup. At the rear is a lightweight strut suspension with transverse arms, also from that GT3 Cup.
Of course, any seasoned racer knows that a race car is only as good as its ability to quickly slow into the corners so the Cayman GT4 Clubsport features 380-millimeter (15-inch) steel brake discs all around. One-piece, six-piston aluminum fixed calipers are fit at the front and four-piston equivalent calipers are on the rear. There are twelve stage adjustments for the anti-lock braking system and the Electronic Stability Programme is pre-programmed to accept racing slicks. Electro-mechanical power steering finishes the tuning.
Since the Cayman GT4 Clubsport isn't made for public roads, most of the niceties of the Cayman production models have been stripped out. A welded-in safety cage, racing bucket for the driver, and a six-point harness are now standard equipment here. A choice of 70, 90, or 100-liter (18.5, 24, 26.5-gallon) FT3 safety tanks for fuel are available (the 90L is standard). On the front, 18-inch five-bolt forged rims wearing Michelin 25/64-18 tires are mounted. On the rear, 18-inch five-bolt forged rims are clad in 27/68-18 Michelins.
The entire car weighs just 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds). The Cayman GT4 Clubsport is available now from Porsche Motorsport starting at €111,000 (US$118,714) plus taxes. Homologation for several race series is planned for 2016 globally, including the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA, Ultra 94 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, and the VLN Long Distance Championship Nurburgring.
Source: Porsche