At the 2021 IAA Mobility event in Germany last year, Porsche displayed a conceptual study that was the vision of a fully-electric GT racing car. Called the Mission R, it was intended to show a possible model for customer motorsport in the future.

The sportscar maker has now begun testing the technology components of the Mission R with the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance as a test vehicle. Like the Mission R, the all-wheel drive racer uses the chassis of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport with the entire electric motor and battery technology from the IAA conceptual study.

The powertrain has a maximum output of 735 kW (1,000 ps) and can generate still more. In simulated racing, a steady 450 kW (612 ps) is available for 30 minutes – equivalent to the duration of a Carrera Cup race. In terms of lap times and top speed, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is on par with the performance of the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup.

“With the Mission R, we’ve shown how Porsche envisages sustainable customer motor racing in the future. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance now demonstrates that this vision works impressively on the racetrack,” revealed Matthias Scholz, GT racing vehicle project manager. “We’re very excited about the response because a one-make cup with electric racing cars would be an important addition to our existing customer racing programme.”

By 2030, Porsche aims to be CO₂ neutral across the entire value chain and lifecycle of its new cars sold. By then, the proportion of all new vehicles featuring all-electric drive should be more than 80%. This development is there important in the light of moving towards greater electrification.

The fully-electric drivetrain has electric motors on front and rear axles for all-wheel drive. The direct oil cooling of the e-motors and battery pack developed by Porsche counteracts thermally induced derating.

“The integration of oil cooling has significantly impacted the vehicle concept,” explained Bjorn Forster, GT4 ePerformance project manager. “With experts in the fields of aerodynamics and thermodynamics as well as high-voltage and bodywork specialists, the development team created an architecture to tap the full potential of the battery cells for the first time, since there is no thermal derating. In this way, the power output in racing mode remains constant for half an hour.”

Thanks to 900-volt technology, the state of charge of the battery at full charging capacity jumps from 5% to 80% in about 15 minutes. This is important in future races which may have long durations.

Under the direction of designer Grant Larson, a team from Porsche Style came up with the shape of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. The racing car is 14 cm wider than a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. About 6,000 parts were designed from scratch and the body is made of natural fibre composite materials. The production is intended to generate fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials. Recycled carbonfibres are also used for testing purposes.

Compared to the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the flared fenders allow more room for the wider 18-inch racing tyres from Michelin. Renewable materials make up a particularly high proportion of the tyres.

The GT4 ePerformance Tour
The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance will make a dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month. At the famous motorsport festival in southern England, the concept racing car will take part in the traditional 1.9-km hillclimb event.

Its second outing will be in August at the Porsche factory in Leipzig on the occasion of the factory’s 20th anniversary. The facility boasts a 3.7-km circuit with sections reproducing world-famous racetracks.

The two 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance demo vehicles will travel through various European countries before heading to North America in early 2023. The world tour concludes in the Asia-Pacific region where it will tour until mid-2024. It’s almost a certainty we will see it at the Sepang International Circuit which is frequently used by Porsche for events.

“The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance blazes a trail to Porsche customer racing with electrically-powered racing cars. As a first step, we will unveil this concept to our global partners,” says Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Sales of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. “With drivers, teams, organisers, authorities and other interested parties, we’re also gathering ideas for Porsche racing formats in the future.”

Porsche Mission R concept sportscar cockpit can also be a standalone simulator