By Adrian Crawford

One of the things that’s always pulled me toward Porsche is the pure motorsport DNA running through every model. What Porsche learns on a Sunday; they quietly build into the road cars the rest of the week. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the relationship between the Cayman 981 GT4 and its feistier sibling, the 981 GT4 Clubsport. I’ve driven both – hard – and the connection is unmistakable.

The 981 GT4 road car is one of the most adaptable Porsches ever built. It’ll take you to the shops, blast through the Alps, or deliver a flawless, relentless track day. I’ve done hundreds of miles on circuit in one (not the beauty currently sitting in our showroom), and every time I drop into the driver’s seat it genuinely feels like home. It’s responsive, eager, beautifully balanced, and honest. Every small input result in an immediate, faithful reaction. Because the chassis is so finely judged, you can carry corner speed that embarrasses “superior” supercars. Yet when the fun’s over, you can roll out of the paddock, turn on the stereo, and drive home with a smile. A low-production, properly engineered Porsche built simply for the joy of driving. For me, it’s a 10 out of 10.

Then there’s the 981 GT4 Clubsport – a different animal entirely. Born from the road car but stripped and honed for one purpose: racing. Creature comforts? Heating, air-con, and electric windows. That’s it. The rest is cage, function, and intent. It borrows from the GT3 parts bin; bigger brakes, race suspension, and swaps in a PDK with 7th gear deleted. Inside, where the music should be, you get adjustable ABS, fire and electrical cut-offs. In the footwell, a battery and more electronics. It’s harsh, loud, vibrating, and alive. Earplugs recommended.

Strangely, it doesn’t feel fast at first, because there’s no slack, no roll, no softness. But lap times fall away, and as you tune yourself into it, you realise it does everything the road car does…just better. On the road? 2/10. On track? 8/10 (and two demerits only because, in racing, you always want more).

To think that our hero Rob Kavanagh took one all the way through the longest and only true road race left in the world is extraordinary. Spare a thought for co-driver Ryan Champion – imagine doing it while sitting in one of those plastic crates you store empty wine bottles in…

If you’d like to experience a 981 GT4 for yourself, we currently have the most beautiful, low-mileage example, owned by a friend of mine, sitting in the showroom. A customer has just had to withdraw from the purchase, so it’s available…but only to one very lucky person.