Racing is very important to the Porsche division. The manufacturer may have become a producer of SUVs and even purely electric cars, but that doesn’t stop it from earning its reputation on racetracks around the world. That’s why the presentation of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance just hit the network.
With this functional evolution of the Mission R prototype unveiled at the Munich Motor Show in the fall of 2021, Porsche intends to showcase its vision of a purely electric GT race car to its affluent clientele over the next few months, all the way to 2024, when the world tour concludes in the Asia-Pacific region, after stops in Europe and North America during 2023. However, this Cayman based on a Cayman GT4 Clubsport chassis will make its official debut at the famed hillclimb race at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in late June.
The GT4 ePerformance is 14 cm wider than the Cayman race car and benefits from the same powertrain as the prototype shown in Munich just a few months ago. As a reminder, the four-wheel-drive engine is capable of a maximum output of 1,072 horsepower (or 1,088 PS). In the race version, however, power is reduced to 603 hp, and the automaker claims that at this level, the car is capable of keeping pace with a half-hour event, exactly the time required to complete a race in the current 911 GT3 Cup series.
Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance | Photo: Porsche
The automaker also claims that the integration of an oil cooling system has had a significant impact on the performance of the car, which, remember, exists primarily to test the all-electric race car concept. This architecture, which exploits the full potential of the battery cells, allows the car to maintain its full power for the 30-minute race. What’s more, the 900-volt technology allows the car to be recharged from 5 to 80 percent of its capacity in about 15 minutes.
And while this 718 GT4 ePerformance is based on a 718, nearly 6,000 parts were designed from the ground up. To illustrate its intention to go carbon neutral within a few years, Porsche designers also envisioned a body made of natural fiber composites, the production of which would be less harmful to the planet than the production of equivalent synthetic materials. The car also relies on recycled carbon fiber.
One thing is for sure: Porsche has no intention of letting the racing world down with the presentation of this fully functional race car concept.
Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance | Photo: Porsche
