The most significant change is the 4.0 litre six-cylinder boxer engine. This high-revving powerplant has been taken directly from the 911 GT3 Cup race car and develops 500 PS in the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport – 75 PS more than the previous GT4 Clubsport model. In addition to many upgraded details, the focus in developing the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport was on further improving overall performance. The standard 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK) fitted to the car now uses all seven forward gears, rather than six.
New for 2022 is the most exciting Cayman ever, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. The GT4 RS is equipped with the same scintillating flat-six engine that powers the 911 GT3. It's a 4.0-liter unit that makes 493 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque in the GT4 RS. Porschephiles will notice that those figures are not quite as high as in the 911 GT3, which packs 502 hp and 346 lb-ft. Big numbers for a small, lightweight car. It is only available with a seven-speed dual-clutch to optimize lap times further. Nobody has driven it yet from the motoring public, but we eagerly await that day and will report back here.
For testing purposes Porsche Motorsport built a few tarmac rally cars based on the Cayman 981 GT4 racing version. The Cayman rally car was the course car for the WRC (World Rally Championship) 2018 ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The FIA R-GT Cup was contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC, like the German WRC event. For Porsche, the entry of a concept study based on the near-production GT circuit race car was a critical test under real conditions.
On 3 January 2019 the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport was unveiled in two variants, Competition and Trackday, with first customer cars delivered to customer teams ahead of the 2019 Roar Before the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway. The race car is powered by a 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine producing 425 PS (419 bhp; 313 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 425 N⋅m (313 lb⋅ft) at 6,600 rpm connected to a 6-speed PDK gearbox. The kerb weight is 1,320 kg (2,910 lb). Both variants feature a welded-in roll cage, a six-point harness and race bucket seat, a selection of body parts made of natural-fibre composite materials and race suspension from the 911 GT3 Cup.
Porsche plans to return to rally racing with a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport R-GT Rallye. The car came about because of the positive response Porsche received on a rally car concept that it sent out into the world. Before the official car comes, Porsche did some testing with its 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport-based concept race car. The company let racing legend Walter Röhrl get behind the wheel at the GP Ice Race in Austria.