Remember the Mission R Concept Porsche revealed at the 2021 Munich auto show? Well, it appears to be getting closer to reality because its components have now found a new home under a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. This testbed, dubbed the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance, takes the concepts batteries and other components and stuffs them into an existing production car. The show car uses an 80-kWh battery and two electric motors making up to 1,073 hp.
Porsche says the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance has the same max output as the Mission R and was able to steadily produce 603 hp over 30-minutes during simulated racing. That’s the same time as a typical Carrera Cup race. When it comes to lap times, the electrified Cayman GT4 is on par with the 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup race car according to Porsche. Direct oil cooling of the electric motors and battery pack, which was developed in-house, counteracts any thermally induced derating.
Björn Förster, project manager for the GT4 ePerformance, notes through optimizing aerodynamics and thermodynamics and working together with high-voltage and bodywork specialists, the team was able to create an architecture that can extract the powertrain’s full potential without any power reduction over time. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance also utilizes Porsche’s first 900-volt charging architecture, allowing the car to go from 5 to 80% in roughly 15 minutes.
At the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Porsche will put its electric performance testbed through its paces as part of its official debut. The car will take part in the famous hill climb event that’s roughly 1.1 miles long. It will have its second outing two months later in August at Porsche’s Leipzig factory during the facility’s 20th anniversary. That site features a 2.2-mile circuit with sections modeled after famous race tracks across the world. Two examples will be traveling around Europe before crossing the Atlantic to North America in 2023 where they will continue the world tour before finishing in the Asia-Pacific region in mid-2024. Since this is part of Porsche’s race2zero project, transporting the two vehicles will be done entirely via ships, trains, and trucks.
When the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance heads out on its world tour, it will get support from seven partners, which will also use the event to promote sustainability alongside Porsche. DB Schenker is the newest addition to the race2zero project and will be providing global logistics and transport services. ExxonMobil via its Mobil brand will be on hand to discuss its coolants and lubricants specifically for race cars. TAG Heuer, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, will serve as Porsche’s timing partner while Hugo Boss will be the team’s outfitter. Puma will be providing drivers and mechanics with fireproof clothing. Michelin is on board as the tire supplier and Hazet is the official provider for the crew’s tools.
The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance highlights what’s possible by harnessing the advantages of electrification. Additionally, this also gives us a sense of what to expect with the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman, which are going to be all-electric. During this year’s annual press conference, Oliver Blume, chairman of the board of Porsche AG confirmed the mid-engine sports cars will turn into battery-electric vehicles and will use a lot of knowledge gained from racing during development. This is simply the first step to that and will follow the path that the Taycan paved.
