Porsche has a deep and rich history in rallying, and it’s about damn time the company mounted a real comeback effort. The motorsport department has been working on developing the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport into a rally machine to compete in the FIA’s R-GT regulation classes. Late last year, Romain Dumas drove a concept version of this vehicle as the “course car” during the 2018 ADAC Rallye Deutschland, and consumer response was so good they couldn’t not make a limited production version of the rally car. Porsche says “The response from the rally fan camp, teams, drivers and series organisers was a decisive factor in going ahead with the new development program.”
While Porsche doesn’t provide any technical details of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport R-GT Rally version, it can be inferred that it will be quite similar to the standard circuit racer GT4 Clubsport with lightweight natural fiber doors, an uprated 425-horsepower 3.8 liter engine from the 991.1 GTS, and a special 6-speed PDK gearbox. What will change from that specification is the ride height, the addition of a light pod on the front bonnet, and more robust rolling stock from Braid wheels.
Porsche’s works drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas have taken on private projects in rallying, which has only increased the need for such a factory-supported program. Here’s hoping the GT4 takes over the R-GT category on an international basis. It should be quite fun and fast.