Driving a 1,000 HP Electric Cayman GT4 e-Performance on a Frozen Swamp
How does the Cayman GT4 e-Performance stack up against the GT4 Clubsport on the ice?
The Porsche Ice Experience Center is located in Levi, Northern Finland. It is here where you can test out some of the hottest Porsche performance models in the coldest conditions. You can push these cars to their limit (and yours) while on solid ice. The ice tracks are built over frozen swampland. There is plenty of snow and ice and thrilling cars. What there is not plenty of is daylight. This time of year, the area only gets about two hours of daylight per day. These are harsh conditions for any vehicle. But what about an EV? What about a concept EV race car like the Cayman GT4 e-Performance? How will it hold up? And how will it compare to a traditional ICE Cayman (no pun intended) GT4 Clubsport on studded tires?
Well Matt Farah recently had the opportunity to find out. And he shared his experience in a video posted to The Smoking Tire YouTube channel. His time in the GT4 E-Performance was brief but it did allow him to share some initial impressions of the car. And watching any Porsche drift around in the snow and ice is always entertaining. Is the EV Cayman a match for the gas-powered car? Is there any hope for exciting racing when the world goes all-electric? Well, let’s find out.
Cayman GT4 e-Performance
The Cayman GT4 e-Performance is based on the GT4 Clubsport but there are some key differences. One difference is that the EV uses all-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive. And of course, the other major difference is that the EV uses dual electric motors with a 65-kWh battery which is capable of producing over 1,000 horsepower in qualifying trim. In race trim the power is dial down to about 600 horsepower. On a regular track the GT4 e-Performance can turn a lap as quickly as a 992 Cup car. To keep the car charged long enough to finish a race there is an 800-kWh charger onboard that uses regenerative braking to keep the car going. At the Ice Experience Center Porsche uses a trailer packed with 2.1-MWh worth of chargers that are capable of charging 10 EVs at the same time.
GT4 Clubsport
The GT4 Clubsport doesn’t need much of an introduction. It is basically a GT4 in race trim. It uses a good old fashioned naturally aspirated flat six engine making 425 horsepower. When it runs out of gas, you fill it back up. Simple as that. On the ice tracks it is running on studded ice tires for maximum grip. Farah got to drive the car on the ice rally course. What did he think of it? Well, he said that it was possibly the best 20 minutes of driving that he ever had. He loves the rear-wheel drive setup, the responsiveness, and the lightness of the car. Watching the video is watching a man having the time of his life.
GT4 e-Performance on Ice
With the light quickly fading Farah is told he can hop in the e-Performance but he only gets three laps. One of his first observations is that with the straight-cut gears the EV sounds just like a 992 Cup car. Well, that may be true from inside the car with a helmet on. But from the outside, that could not be further from the truth. The EV sounds like a dentist’s drill and the 992 Cup sounds like a proper race car. Just three laps is not enough time to try evaluate a car. But Farah does still seem to prefer the rear-wheel drive Clubsport. However, he does see the promise that the GT4 e-Performance offers and he leaves with the impression that the future of EV racing is bright.
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