Porsche Unveils the New 911 GT4 R Track Car for Customer Teams

The new Porsche 911 GT4 R is the first GT4 racing car built on the 911 platform, powered by a 4.0-litre boxer engine making up to 520PS, and will race from the 2027 season.

Porsche has just revealed a new racing car, and it is a big deal for anyone who follows motorsport. The new 911 GT4 R is the first time Porsche has brought the 911 platform into the GT4 racing category. Until now, all their GT4 cars were based on the Cayman. This one is different. It has more power, a wider track, and better electronics than anything Porsche has offered in this category before. The car will start racing in the 2027 season and is already getting a lot of attention from customer teams around the world.

The 911 GT4 R is a racing car built specifically for customer motorsport teams. It is not a road car. Teams buy it, race it in GT4 championships around the world, and Porsche supports them. This kind of programme is called customer motorsport, and Porsche has been doing it for a long time.

What makes this one special is the platform. All previous Porsche GT4 cars were based on the 718 Cayman. The new 911 GT4 R is based on the 911 GT3, which is a more powerful and capable car. So the 911 GT4 R gets a bigger engine, wider track, and better electronics compared to the old Cayman-based cars.

The 911 GT4 R runs a 4.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine, the same unit used in the 911 Cup racing car. In full trim, it makes 520PS and 470Nm. Converting that to what we use in India, that is 513bhp and 470Nm. However, under GT4 racing rules, there is something called Balance of Performance, or BoP.

This is a system that stops any one car from being too dominant. Because of BoP, the 911 GT4 R is delivered with air restrictors fitted, 53.7mm ones that bring the power down to around 430PS, which is around 424bhp. Teams can adjust things within the rules depending on which series they are racing in.

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The engine sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox. The driver changes gears using paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. There is also a four-disc racing clutch. Gear changes are fast, and the setup is standard for this kind of racing car.

The suspension uses dual-adjustable dampers and three selectable spring rates, giving teams good options when setting the car up for different tracks. The wheels are one inch narrower than the 911 Cup and use a five-hole pattern, which is a GT4 regulation requirement.

The rear wing can be adjusted manually to eleven different positions, which helps teams find the right balance of downforce and top speed for each circuit.

A big part of the body doors, engine cover, aerodynamic parts, and sections of the cockpit are made from natural-fibre-reinforced plastic with epoxy resin. This keeps the weight down while still being strong enough for racing. The driver gets a 10.3-inch colour display showing all the important information during a race.

There is also a data logger and a GPS built in, which help the team analyse performance after each session and find areas to improve. Additional ballast can be added to the car to meet the weight requirements set by the BoP classification in different series.

GT4 racing started in the mid-2000s and has grown steadily since. It sits just below GT3 in terms of performance and cost, which makes it a popular entry point for serious amateur racers and young professionals looking to move up. Championships like the ADAC GT4 Germany and the GT4 European Series have been running for years and always have a good number of teams and drivers taking part.

Porsche has been in the GT4 category since 2016 and has built more than 1,500 Cayman-based racing cars in that time. Right now, they sit third in the SRO International Manufacturer Ranking as of June 2026. The new 911 GT4 R is meant to push that further.

The 911 GT4 R is a natural next step for Porsche in customer motorsport. It takes everything that worked in the Cayman GT4 programme and adds the performance and credibility of the 911 platform on top of it. For customer teams looking for a strong, well-supported racing car in the GT4 class, this looks like a very good option. It will be interesting to see how the car performs when racing starts in 2027.