Porsche Rally Concept Gets To Play On The Ice And Snow In Austria

There’s a reason for this snow-going Porsche Cayman GT4 Rallye Concept Car, and it’s not just to look cool on the slopes (though it does). It’s there to try out on the ice and snow at the special Porsche Winter Event held before the GP Ice Race in Zell am See in Austria on January 19-20, as a build-up to Porsche’s plans to return to rallying in the FIA R-GT class. The driver is local hero Richard Lietz, a snow and ice expert who currently ranks third in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC, GTE-Pro class).

The return to rallying conjures up memories of Porsche claiming overall victory at the Dakar Rally in 1986 with the Porsche 959 or the similar success in the four-wheel-drive Porsche 953. Further back, in the late 1960s and early 70s, Vic Elford and Björn Waldegard took great victories in 911s at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, and more recently, Porsche’s works drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas have been rallying outside of their Porsche duties.

The motorsport department in Weissach is developing the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport to comply with the FIA R-GT regulations ready for the 2020 rally season, with the car based on the new, motorsport-only 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport unveiled in early January. It’s powered by a 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing 425bhp, with several of the body panels made of natural-fibre composite material. Highlights should include Highlights include the Monte Carlo Rally and the legendary tarmac stages of the WRC round run on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

Images courtesy of Porsche