Cayman Driving Experience

[a burrito]

Originally Posted by footie

Maybe the Cayman excels more on the more technical courses where speeds is less important but I keep hearing about power and your craving for it. Ever thought about politics?

Jokes aside it's remarkable how different the Cayman feels in comparison to even the basic 997 or even a Z4M Coupe which has similar power, it's the only one which feels completely planted to the surface and feels like it could quite easily cope with 100hp more and not unset the chassis balance.

Try the same thing with a Z4M and the word 'rollercoaster' springs to mind.

In my opinion the making of a great car is the equivalent to fine dinning, it always leaves you wanting more. In the case of the Cayman that wanting is more power, even though it's quicker than just about everything else that has up to 80hp more than it. Some people prefer that thrill of taming the beast, as is the case with the Carrera C2S and to a lesser extent the M3 but if you want a great track car that you can jump into a drive the socks off it than few match the Cayman S.

Great post. And yes, I too prefer about 100 hp in my Cayman, but I promise you I have more fun in it than any M car. To tell you the truth, I even like it better than my brothers 997 s or my pops sl65. for 65 grand (slightly optioned) its really hard to beat. Speaking from a price perspective, I believe anything above the thrill of a cayman with the same type of platform would be the Exige S/R8/CGT/F430 Scooood etc. etc.

[footie]

Originally Posted by a burrito

Great post. And yes, I too prefer about 100 hp in my Cayman, but I promise you I have more fun in it than any M car. To tell you the truth, I even like it better than my brothers 997 s or my pops sl65. for 65 grand (slightly optioned) its really hard to beat. Speaking from a price perspective, I believe anything above the thrill of a cayman with the same type of platform would be the Exige S/R8/CGT/F430 Scooood etc. etc.

You are clearly a man speaking from experience because I totally agree with you that the Cayman offers more fun than just about all others. In fact, the only car that impressed me more has been the R8, it's another benign chassis that offers all of the fun but none of the bite back that is present in the 997, Z4M or most other mid-engined cars.

The only thing lacking with the Cayman is that it's too noise at motorway speeds (70~80mph) and it's interior isn't special enough but the same thing can be leveled at the M3 too. Apart from that is one of the all-time greats.

[devo]

Great review Footie. Thanks.

FYI, the Carrera is reportedly getting paddles as an option starting in 2010. I would imagine that the Cayman would get them at the same time or shortly thereafter. BTW, the Carrera S is also getting a power kit option, bringing the HP to 408. I'm sure it will be a typical Porsche over-priced item, but, will make for a wonderful ride, especially when coupled with LSD and the lower sport suspension.

[Driver72]

Nice review. Sweet track pic. Too bad they didn't get a bit higher of an aerial shot, just to get it all in.

I considered the Cayman myself. It's surely a handling car.
On tight tracks, power is not king, handling is.
My chipped 335i is much more powerful than a Lotus Elise or Exige, but I will tell you this, when I met up with a few at a private mountain road drive, I could not keep up with the one in front of me, or shake the one behind me and I was driving the 335i at pretty much the limit. Anything more and I was cliff bound.
On the straights I'd pull many car lengths on them, but on the corners a total different story.

The Cayman S I'm sure is even better. More power and speed than the Lotus, equal handling.
It has a great combination of power, speed and handling.
It could surely use 30-50 hp more, but then who'd buy the 911?

[footie]

Originally Posted by Driver72

It could surely use 30-50 hp more, but then who'd buy the 911?

I haven't heard whether Porsche will be offering a power pack on the Cayman like they do with the Carrera.

Do you know anything Devo?

[devo]

Originally Posted by footie

I haven't heard whether Porsche will be offering a power pack on the Cayman like they do with the Carrera.

Do you know anything Devo?

I have heard nothing on the Cayman.