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Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Racecar Shows PDK, Fetishy Stripped-Out Interior in LA

Perhaps the greatest asset of a Porsche sportscar is that people drive it for all sorts of reasons, not just its grunt. However, those of you who follow Zuffenhausen for the speeding thrills offered by its products will be happy to know Porsche has thrown a brilliant racecar at us at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport 11 photos
Photo: Porsche
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When the window buttons almost hang in mid air and the dashboard becomes a cutout element including carbon toys, you can’t help but contemplate the factory-stripped cabin of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Since this is proper motorsport material, the list of safety equipment ranges from a complex rollcage and a six-point harness to a centrally-mounted fire extinguisher and a mandatory pair of bucket seats. For those who hate pitstops, Porsche can replace the standard 18.5-gallon/70-liter fuel tank with one that can hold 26.5 gallons/100 liters of high-octane juice. If only we could have that on the road car...

Nevertheless, perhaps the greatest attention magnet inside the Cayman racecar is the gearshift lever - gone is the manual that prevented the street-legal Cayman GT4 from beating the 911. The racer keeps the mid-mounted naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter boxer borrowed from the Carrera S, but mixes it with a PDK seven-speed unit.

Factor in a weight reduction of nearly 100 lbs /45 kg (the GT4 Clubsport tips the scales at 2,866 lbs/1,300 kg) and you end up with one uber-fast track performer. While a part of that weight saving comes from the cabin-stripping moves mentioned above, an important part of the credit has to go to the suspension.

Just like the road-going GT4 uses the 911 GT3 suspension, the Clubsport borrows its road connection from the 911 GT3 Cup. 911 fans have no reason to worry about the Cayman cannibalizing its rear-engined sibling, since the Neunelfer already has four racing versions.

Stopping power comes from 15-inch steel discs, gripped by six-piston grabbers up front and four-piston calipers at the rear.

Once Porsche completes the homologation series, you’ll be able to use the Cayman GT4 Clubsport to fly over vibrators in the “VLN Long Distance Championship Nürburgring, the Ultra 94 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada and PCA Club Racing Cayman GT4 Clubsport Trophy East, as well as for other club-level competition events around the world.

Starting at $165,000 or EUR111,000, the pricing is entirely legit considering the track action guaranteed by this machine.

P.S.: Those of you who have been craving to see the flat-six hidden at the center of the Cayman can now get closer to the engine thanks to the soundproofing being thrown away.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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