One of the first really impressive electric vehicles that I got to see attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week was the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance... because it was the one closest to the press tent. At first it looks like just another Porsche racing car, but the more you look, the more cool and unique details you start to notice.
Its specs are arguably more impressive than the way it looks, since it looks like any 718 Cayman GT4. However, this one has up to 800 kW (around 1,050 horsepower) in its most powerful setting, and thanks to all-wheel drive and plenty of racing aero, it really can put all of that power down quite undramatically.
Gallery: Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance EV at Goodwood
It was easily one of the quickest vehicles to ever go up the famous hillclimb stage, with a best time of 45.5 seconds, and the only reason why it was not first this year was because the McMurtry Spierling was in a different league compared to everything else, pushing all vehicles down by one position. But for a car with no fans sucking it to the tarmac, the 718 ePerformance marked a huge achievement this year.
And even sitting still in the paddock, the vehicle oozed performance, with its massive front splitter and intake, unique headlight design that just made it look more aggressive, the lack of traditional side rear-view mirrors (replaced by cameras and screens) or the carbon fiber piece that replaced the 718’s standard light clusters with a simple light bar.
The vehicle wasn’t designed to go racing in any particular racing series. It was envisioned as more of a poster vehicle for electric performance cars from Porsche. This is why they still left room for the passenger’s seat (which was not in the car when I saw it), in order to have somewhere to put the company executive or the automotive journalist who would want to experience what over 1,000 horsepower in a racing Porsche feels like.
