2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
Some of you may remember back when the Porsche Cayman first came out people made the same jokes about it as they did with the Boxster. But that鈥檚 missing the point. 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is not meant to be an alternative for the top dog road car. It is a through and through track car, built for those who want a no-compromise racing car they can have a lot of fun with over the weekend. So yes, it鈥檚 a toy, essentially. But as far as toys go, it鈥檚 a good one. The new Cayman GT4 is also wiser and more 鈥渟ustainable鈥?in Porsche鈥檚 own words. That is fantastic, since the kind of people who can afford to spend top dollar on a track toy are usually the type who like to show off everything, even moral fiber. So next time you get together with your Cheshire motoring club mates for a track day, you can boast that your Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 features body parts made of natural-fibre composite material. Granted, they are limited to the doors and the rear wing, and no, the engine is not a hybrid or anything.
In fact, the 3.8 liter flat-six is even beefier than before with an extra 40 horsepower. But the very phrase 鈥渘atural-fibre鈥?has a nice, environmental tone about it. And that鈥檚 enough for most people. The 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport comes in two 鈥淭rackday鈥?and 鈥淐ompetition鈥?variants. The former is for the more novice gentleman driver, whereas the latter is aimed at the more experienced drivers. That is why the Trackday costs 134,000 EUR, and the Competition 157,000 EUR. They share a 425 horsepower flat-six engine, Porsche dual-clutch gearbox with six gears and mechanical rear axle differential lock. What 鈥淐lubsport鈥?models represent is the true essence of Porsche. If you are a real Porsche aficionado you should steer clear of the road-going sports model. Just get a Cayenne or a Panamera for daily driving, and a Cayman GT4 or a track version of the 911 for driving fun. A regular Cayman is like a fine cigarette, whereas this Clubsport model is a full Churchill-sized Cuban cigar paired with a double espresso!
Wheelspin is one backing track, but the big shivers come from the SVR's custom exhaust. It cuts loose insane levels of overrun, a string of exhaust expletives whenever you back off the throttle. Goose it, and the SVR is happy to cut corners to the bone, dump its contact patch with the earth, and let loose a slide worthy of a rear-driver, if only for a moment. Its all-wheel-drive system is playful but not evil: it pulls everything back in line in concert with the P Zeros so long as they're able to keep a grip. Still, those high-speed moments of oversteer come on fast and heavy through a corkscrew more dastardly than the one at Laguna Seca. The SVR can move power around front to back, and side to side in back, but it can't brew miracles. It's taught to exaggerate almost every driving gesture, so careful modulation of the throttle and the steering wheel gets drilled into you to shake off sloppy corner work. At first we're routed through a moose-test of a chicane, with a tease of Motorland's longest straight at its end. Two laps later, that bus stop is de-kinked, and the track opens for top-speed flirting. Drop out of a downhill bend, then pinball out of a left-hander, and it's pure temptation. Pin the throttle, and the SVR soars faster, and higher, than ever in an F-Type. For a moment, 175 mph shows up on the clock. What seems like hours later鈥攐r just a half-second鈥攊t's full-stomp braking. Stand on the low-travel, high-resistance pedal, let the carbon-ceramics file off speed, and the SVR judders lightly as you paddle down into second for a late, late hairpin. Do the run twice and it gets easier, but never normal. It's like base-jumping between Petronas towers. Whomever designed this track was sleeping with the devil.
You can remove the black plastic "box" in a switch by gently pressing on it from the face side to push it out the back of the console box. Following is a pic showing the two buttons on the right that have been completely removed from the switch box. Pic of the various bits deconstructed and laid-out on the bench. What can we do with this information? Well, I didn't do anything. I simply put it all back together again. But, I now know that if I really wanted to add a "custom" switch integrated to look factory installed I could. It isn't going to be fully-integrated at an electronics communication level (CAN BUS), but a physical integration with the switch face plates. To add a custom switch, you will have to create an access port into the space directly under the switch face plate you are customizing. This means drilling a small hole on the side of the console box and routing your wiring through and into the space directly below the switch box.
Of course, until someone does this and shows in detail, it is just a concept. Couple of other things to know -- You can purchase a switch repair kit from Porsche that includes replacement switch face plates, switch console box, and other bits. 225 or so. Also, this kit is needed whenever an owner adds Porsche Sports Exhaust to their car, as the kit includes the new button to turn the PSE on and off. LOL. These are replacement buttons and other parts, but you will need to get any programming done by the dealer (or independent with the PIWIS tool and the option codes for your car from the factory). Anyways, this is a LONG post -- sorry all! I've run out of steam. Happy to answer any questions if you want to post them. I also have a spare switch kit that I can dig into in more detail if you have any questions.
