Porsche GT4 Clubsport and Clubsport MR: Two Race Cars Derived from the Porsche Cayman Coupe

KLETTWITZ, Germany – It’s not every day that an automaker offers a journalist the chance to test drive a real race car. So when they asked me to get behind the wheel of the Porsche GT4 Clubsport and Clubsport MR race cars along with the production version Porsche Cayman GT4 on the Lausitzring EuroSpeedway circuit in Germany, I jumped at the opportunity.

Launched last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show and unveiled by Patrick Dempsey, the American actor and endurance race Porsche pilot, the GT4 Clubsport coupe underscored the arrival of a new competition model from the brand. Unlike the factory version of the Cayman GT4 coupe equipped with a conventional six-speed manual transmission, the racing model GT4 Clubsport features a six-speed, twin-clutch PDK gearbox. It delivers the 3.8-litre, flat-six engine’s 385 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels by way of a mechanical locking differential.

• Also: Porsche Cayman GT4: One for the Road, Two Others for the Track
• Also: 2017 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport: A New Track Stallion

1290 kg and US$165,000

The only things the GT4 Clubsport race car has in common with the production model are the upper part of the dashboard and the stick shift. The rest of the cabin was completely stripped to make room for a safety cage, racing seat with six-point harness and a competition steering wheel including carbon fibre paddle shifters.

The front end is drawn from the 911 GT3 race car, the four disc brakes are 380 millimetres in diameter and the car is fitted with Michelin racing slicks. These changes directly impact the GT4 Clubsport’s weight, which is only 1290 kilos. At a cool US$165,000, the price is about double that of the production Cayman GT4.

Brilliant sound and fiendish grip

Once firmly seated and strapped in, I started the engine and left the pits. The first thing I noticed was the incredibly loud sound of the flat-six engine. The production version of the Cayman GT4 coupe roars with authority, but the racing version hits a whole other—almost deafening—level. It was clear that this would be no ordinary test drive.

Nothing compares to driving a real race car on a track. You immediately get the sense that no compromises were made for the sake of comfort and that everything has been optimized to achieve a single goal: To go as fast as possible on every lap.

Pressing the brake pedal requires a lot more effort than in a production sports car. The weight transfer is more subtle, the grip is phenomenal and the cornering speed is much faster. You feel the sensations in your gut and the car’s handling is incisive to the point that it reacts instantly to the slightest urging. And the sound it produces is nothing less than pure joy.

By progressively increasing the pace, I noticed that the GT4 Clubsport sometimes “bounces” on its suspension, particularly in bumpy curves when the lateral acceleration is very strong. I made a mental note to talk to the engineers about it after the session to find out why.

GT4 Clubsport MR: lighter and faster

After a few laps at the wheel of the GT4 Clubsport, it was time to move on to the MR. This model was developed by Porsche and the Manthey Racing team. They used carbon fibre doors and hood, as well as a polycarbonate bumper and side windows to make the GT4 Clubsport MR coupe 40 kg lighter.

The suspension was modified, as was the rear spoiler to generate more downforce. Meanwhile, both the front roll bar and brake force distribution are adjustable. The kit goes for €40,000. Manthey Racing can also sell you an air jack system for stops in the pits, a set of headlights specially made for 24-hour endurance races, a drinking water system for the driver, windshield tear-off and a bunch of other competition-specific equipment.

All about calibration

Faster than the GT4 Clubsport, the MR is also easier to drive to its limit—but braking is even more demanding since it isn’t assisted on this version. While the GT4 Clubsport tended to “bounce” on its suspension when being pushed on bumpy curves where the lateral acceleration was very strong, the MR was a lot more stable and faster.

In speaking with a team supervisor, I learned that the suspension on the MR we tested that day had been set for the Nürburgring, which is even bumpier than the Lausitzring EuroSpeedway road circuit, so they were softer. That explains, in part, why the GT4 Clubsport MR was more efficient, faster in turns and more satisfying to drive than the GT4 Clubsport on this particular circuit, with the 40-kg weight reduction also being an important factor.

That day spent at the Lausitzring EuroSpeedway driving Porsche-developed race cars was one of my best this year. Despite their higher limits, these beasts are easy to tame. This makes life easier for the affluent drivers looking to access motorsport with a car that boasts irreproachable manufacturing quality and more predictable handling than a Porsche 911 GT3 race car. As for me, I’d drive it again any time.