Porsche has unveiled the 911 GT4 R, the first GT4 customer race car ever built on the 911 platform rather than the CaymanIt shares its 4.0-litre flat-six and gearbox with the 911 Cup car, producing up to 520 PS before Balance of Performance restrictorsThe car costs $375,500 in the US and begins competing in the 2027 season, alongside the existing Cayman-based GT4 range Since 2016, anyone wanting to race a Porsche in the GT4 category has driven a Cayman. Porsche has built more than 1,500 of them, and the model became one of the benchmark cars in the class. That chapter is now changing. Porsche has unveiled the 911 GT4 R, the first GT4 customer race car ever built on the 911 platform, with its competitive debut scheduled for the 2027 motorsport season. Why Porsche Made the Switch The timing is no accident. The 718 Cayman's run as a combustion-powered sports car is ending, taking its GT4 RS Clubsport race car along with it. Rather than leave GT4 customers without a Porsche option at the top of the category, Porsche has turned to the car it knows best. The 911 GT4 R is built on the technical foundation of the current 911 Cup racer, itself based on the road-going 992.2-generation 911 GT3. That shared foundation means teams and drivers benefit from setup knowledge and support infrastructure that Porsche has already spent years refining. Read More Porsche Says the 911 Will Never Go Electric, Even as SUVs Outsell It 3 to 1 There's a useful side effect to the switch as well. Drivers stepping up from GT4 into the 911 GT3 R for professional competition will now make that transition in a car with a similar rear-engine weight balance, rather than jumping from a mid-engined Cayman to a rear-engined 911. It's a smaller step up the ladder than before. Power, Gearbox, and Chassis At the heart of the 911 GT4 R sits the same naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six found in the 911 Cup car, producing up to 382 kW (520 PS) and 470 Nm of torque in unrestricted form. As with every car in the GT4 category, actual output depends on Balance of Performance regulations designed to keep grids competitive. Out of the factory, the GT4 R comes fitted with 53.7mm air restrictors that bring power down to 316 kW (430 PS). Read More New 2026 Mercedes-AMG GLE and GLS Get Massive V8 Engines Power reaches the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential dog-gearbox, operated via steering wheel paddle shifters and a four-disc racing clutch. While the GT4 R borrows extensively from the 911 Cup, regulations require some differences: the wheels are an inch narrower than the Cup car's and use a conventional five-bolt mounting pattern rather than center-lock fittings. Dual-adjustable dampers and three selectable spring rates give teams real flexibility when setting the car up for different circuits. Aerodynamics and Cockpit The bodywork draws heavily on the 911 Cup, including its aerodynamic optimisations, with a rear wing that can be manually adjusted across eleven different positions. Much of the bodywork, doors, engine cover, and various aerodynamic components are made from natural-fibre-reinforced plastic combined with epoxy resin, a material choice that keeps weight down while meeting the demands of racing. Read More Ferrari's New Marketing Chief Arrives Straight From BMW's Electric Playbook Inside, the cockpit is built entirely around function. A 10.3-inch colour display relays critical data to the driver, paired with an integrated data logger and GPS system that teams use to analyse performance after each session. Additional ballast points allow the car to be adjusted to whatever weight classification a given series requires under Balance of Performance rules. "With the new racing car based on the Porsche 911 GT3, we are taking our successful GT4 programme to a new level," said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport. "The combination of iconic 911 DNA and the tried-and-tested GT4 concept creates a unique offering in the market." Pricing and What Comes Next The 911 GT4 R will cost $375,500 in the United States, a figure that includes import and delivery. It will compete alongside the existing Cayman-based GT4 range rather than replacing it outright, giving customer teams a genuine choice between the two platforms depending on their ambitions and budget. Porsche currently sits third in the SRO International Manufacturer Ranking as of June 2026, and the addition of a 911-based GT4 contender is a clear signal of intent to climb further. Racing begins in earnest with the 2027 season, including entries expected in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the SRO Pirelli GT4 America championship.
