What's all this about?
It's a club-racing version of the exquisite Porsche Cayman GT4. It was debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it's called the Clubsport.
Ooh, fantastic! Is there a hardcore road-going version for us to feast upon?
Sadly, no - this is for 'recreational and club racing' only. Although it is heavily based on the GT4 road car.
So what's changed?
The 385hp mid-mounted 3.8-litre straight-six engine is carried over, while it has a six-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox (admittedly, specified for competition use rather than low CO2), but after that the tech gets serious. Suspension is lighter all round, with the front set-up lifted from the 911 GT3 Cup racer and the rear transverse arms borrowed from the same machine. Big 380mm steel brake discs all round are gripped by six-piston front and four-pot rear monobloc aluminium callipers, while a 90-litre fuel tank is standard fit - options include a smaller 70-litre unit, or a full-on FT3 100-litre safety tank.
How about the cabin?
A racing bucket seat with a six-point harness is included, as is a welded-in roll cage. The Cayman's anti-lock brakes can be adjusted through 12 different stages of intervention, while the traction control has been recalibrated to work with the slick rubber the Clubsport is likely to use. Talking of which, Michelin is the chosen supplier, wrapping its tyres around some gorgeous 18-inch, five-bolt forged rims. The whole car weighs a scant 1,300kg as a result of all this concentrated effort.
And how do I go about buying one?
Contact Porsche Motorsport in Weissach direct and hope you've got a spare €111,000 (about £77,920) plus market-specific VAT in your pocket. Expect Porsche to push through more homologation for the car to race in various global race series in 2016, as well as a wide variety of club-level meets.
Matt Robinson - 23 Nov 2015