Tuesday 30th August 2011

Driven: Porsche Cayman R

We know the Cayman R's good, but does it make sense?

---

This?

A Porsche Cayman S with an extra 10bhp, a weight reduction of 55kg, lower and stiffer suspension with more negative camber, front and rear spoilers that reduce lift by 15% on the front and 40% on the rear, and a manual gearbox. All for a moderately reasonable £51,731 (£4124 more than a Cayman S). Ought to be a winner, right?

Well there's absolutely no doubt that the Cayman R is a pretty fabulous piece of kit, and the weight-saving tricks (RS door pull straps, no cup holders, no door pockets, a 10-litre smaller fuel tank) combined with the pleasantly lairy paint and graphics add a good dollop of hardcore appeal to the car. The question is whether it goes far enough

Yes, the ride is firmer, and the car feels marginally more eager, agile and keen to please out on the road. But it's no hardcore track weapon - it's still an eminently usable everyday car, despite the occasional difficulty you might have in dropping into the gorgeously grippy fixed-back bucket seats (they save a total of 12kg, don'tcha know...).

...or this? Choices, choices...

And yet, and yet, I reckon this very everyday approachability is (perversely) the Cayman R's downfall. Notwithstanding the fact that the 'R' badge has historically been reserved for truly hardcore Porsches, there is a nagging feeling that this isn't as extreme a car as you perhaps hope it might be.

In fact, if you did buy this car you would quite conceivably do so as an everyday purchase. And if you did that, you would most probably be tempted to tick the boxes marked 'air-con' and 'stereo'. Which would leave you with a car that's more Cayman S-plus than Cayman R.

And if there was no Cayman S, then the R's existence would make absolute sense. Indeed, it's still a brilliant car, both on track and off it (as our Adam Towler described when he drove the Cayman R in Abroadland back in February). But if you want to use a Cayman on the road, you'd probably be better off with an S, and if you want a £50k (ish) track toy with the Shield of Stuttgart on it, then why not point your hard-earned in the direction of, say, a 996 GT3 such as this one?

[tanad]

I think you've just stated the case for Cayman R. It combines the best of both in 1 car. It will still be more usable day to day vs a used 996/997 GT3, yet be more enjoyable and more focused on the track than your Cayman S. And for those who absolutely need a PDK setup (city driving, stop start etc), thats not offered on a GT3 (yet!). Different strokes for different folks.

[lordlee]

I'd rather this to be honest...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2886820.htm

[tanad]

I had this (997 mk 1 GT3) and a manual modified 996 Turbo before ... it gets old quickly in stop start, hilly traffic where I live. But on the track, everything abt the GT3 makes sense - its glorious and truly at home. I still hold the view the Cayman R has its own target market.

[Dr S]

A car for the soft-core end of the hard-core market

Had they called it the Cayman S Sport as they did with the runout model of the mk1, then it would be ok. Giving it the "R" moniker is creating expectations the car can't meet, no matter how brilliant the Cayman is. Boyster Spyder or - much, much better - a used 7.1 GT3 for me any day...

[J4CKO]

So Porsche charge you extra for a lighter version and then you can opt for a Stereo and Aircon that puts the weight back that you were charged extra to remove and then they probably charge you for those options ?

If that is the case then it is marketing Coup of the decade.

Funny how people get excited about a red nylon strap to open the door on a Porsche yet if it appeared on a Korean supermini it would be derided.

[Schnellmann]

I've driven a Cayman (although not R) but owned a 996 GT3. The Cayman is effective and enjoyable but the GT3 is special. I drove mine in town, on motorways and (mostly) country roads and I never had a problem. With the bucket seats it was really comfy and some Sunday mornings I think I was gone for 4 or 5 hours at a time (getting back home just as the wife was surfacing!)

As well as being special a GT3 will probably hold its value better as well.

But then, I've never got the Cayman. I'm sure it is a great car to own but I've never got to grips with the idea that it is more expensive than the Boxster. Had it been cheaper (as the hard tops usually are) then I could have understood it. And the Boxster is such a fine-handling machine, does the benefit of the hard-top really outweigh the loss of pleasure of getting the top down?

[Mermaid]

J4CKO said:

..
Funny how people get excited about a red nylon strap to open the door on a Porsche yet if it appeared on a Korean supermini it would be derided.

marketing gone bananas.

I drove the Cayman R a while ago, and concluded that for the real world a Cayman S with a LSD is a better option. The drive will be a lot better, and not as edgy. The R reminded me very much of the M3 CSL - expensive to start with (I saw a Cayman R specced at £71k at Porsche Mayfair) but will hold solid residuals once they are at circa £30k to £35k. Will it ever become a classic like the 996RS - no, for there will be Cayman RS one day and even that is unlikely to be a classic.

Is it a good car to drive to the 'Ring and back - yes.

Quite a few cars available.

[British Beef]

lordlee said:

I'd rather this to be honest...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2886820.htm

Good call. Im with you on that one.

I bet what you save on depreciation on this 2nd hand GT3 will neutralise the additional running cost over a Cayman R too (over say 3 years).

They missed a trick with this Cayman R, more power, but then it would be treading on the 911s toes. So marketing decided to do the engineering - red door straps, nominal power hike, crap looking stickers and a hefty price hike. Very poor effort IMO.

[cheddar]

J4CKO said:

So Porsche charge you extra for a lighter version and then you can opt for a Stereo and Aircon that puts the weight back that you were charged extra to remove and then they probably charge you for those options ?

If that is the case then it is marketing Coup of the decade.

Funny how people get excited about a red nylon strap to open the door on a Porsche yet if it appeared on a Korean supermini it would be derided.

I think they're free, either way, but point made....

[thewheelman]

Dr S said:

A car for the soft-core end of the hard-core market

Had they called it the Cayman S Sport as they did with the runout model of the mk1, then it would be ok. Giving it the "R" moniker is creating expectations the car can't meet, no matter how brilliant the Cayman is. Boyster Spyder or - much, much better - a used 7.1 GT3 for me any day...

Drive one, trust me it deserves the R badge, if it had an RS badge i could see your point.

I see the comparison as odd, the 911RS is generally more track focused with the bonus of being able to drive it on the road. The Cayman R is more of a road car & good for the odd track day.

[thewheelman]

cheddar said:

J4CKO said:

So Porsche charge you extra for a lighter version and then you can opt for a Stereo and Aircon that puts the weight back that you were charged extra to remove and then they probably charge you for those options ?

If that is the case then it is marketing Coup of the decade.

Funny how people get excited about a red nylon strap to open the door on a Porsche yet if it appeared on a Korean supermini it would be derided.

I think they're free, either way, but point made....

Reminds me of this....

[northandy]

I cant wait for these to get in my reach, especially in that colour. So therefore i hope they depreciate really badly

[J4CKO]

cheddar said:

J4CKO said:

So Porsche charge you extra for a lighter version and then you can opt for a Stereo and Aircon that puts the weight back that you were charged extra to remove and then they probably charge you for those options ?

If that is the case then it is marketing Coup of the decade.

Funny how people get excited about a red nylon strap to open the door on a Porsche yet if it appeared on a Korean supermini it would be derided.

I think they're free, either way, but point made....

Yeah, didnt really think even Porsche could pull that trick

I had a Saab 9-3 Club Sport, lighter than average due to the aircon not being present, bog basic spec but rather than Club Sport, RS or Sport it was just "Poverty Spec".

[thewheelman]

Porsche claims that the Cayman R is spiritually related to the 904 GTS.

[MadDog1962]

For people that have the cash this looks like a pretty good option, despite all the negativity. Not all of us have got the time, ability and energy to get our hands dirty and tweak a used Cayman.

Myself, I'd buy something like this http://pistonheads.com/sales/3119824.htm and spend 10 grand on suitable "improvements" and have 20 grand left over for insurance and running costs, I think it would probably be more fun than dumping 51K on a brand new one fresh out of the factory. :-)

[thewheelman]

MadDog1962 said:

For people that have the cash this looks like a pretty good option, despite all the negativity. Not all of us have got the time, ability and energy to get our hands dirty and tweak a used Cayman.

Myself, I'd buy something like this http://pistonheads.com/sales/3119824.htm and spend 10 grand on suitable "improvements" and have 20 grand left over for insurance and running costs, I think it would probably be more fun than dumping 51K on a brand new one fresh out of the factory. :-)

The same could be said for pretty much all new vrs used cars. I generally prefer used cars & let some sucker take the depreciation, keep it well looked after, then i get my hands on it

[0aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

I'm not a real fan of the looks of the Cayman, but this looks even worse. How many 'bits' do you want stuck to a car? It looks like it's been down to Halfords, cars with stuff written on them look naff!

[thewheelman]

0aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa said:

I'm not a real fan of the looks of the Cayman, but this looks even worse. How many 'bits' do you want stuck to a car? It looks like it's been down to Halfords, cars with stuff written on them look naff!

I didn't know wheels could be added to elephant sick!?

[Dr S]

thewheelman said:

Drive one, trust me it deserves the R badge, if it had an RS badge i could see your point.

I see the comparison as odd, the 911RS is generally more track focused with the bonus of being able to drive it on the road. The Cayman R is more of a road car & good for the odd track day.

Well, I'm using a 7.2 GT3 as a daily drive which I find not at all compromised compared to the vanilla C2S I had before. But its massively more exciting to drive on regular road and a weapon on track. Still don't get the Cayman R...

[wackojacko]

They look terrific in that particular green.

Would prefer a 996 GT3RS though ......