Spotted: Porsche Cayman S Viper Green
Wishlist spec Cayman S press car surfaces at an official Porsche Centre
So we weren’t fast enough to flag it up while it was still for sale. But we have actually met this car before, in its previous life as a Porsche GB press car. And if that worries the new owner then fear not, press cars probably get more attention lavished on them than any other so it’ll be in tip-top condition.
Priced at £52,950 at Porsche Centre Newcastle with just over 7,000 miles on the clock, this Cayman S is one special car. I remember booking it out and when, in the usual style, the spec sheet pinged into my inbox ahead of the car’s arrival my jaw dropped. First thought? Viper Green – cool! Working my way down the spec it was like a mental wishlist being checked off item by item. Ceramic brakes, manual gearbox (joy!) with short-shift upgrade, fixed bucket seats, sports exhaust, black 19-inch Carrera Sport alloys, limited-slip diff and more besides.
Yup, whoever it was in the Porsche press office that specced this car had clearly been having fun. And then I reached the bottom line: £71,954. This Cayman wasn’t just a junior GT3 in looks – it was dangerously close on price too!
Not that I cared once I got to drive it. Truly one of those sublime, lovely cars that just transcends any ‘OMG’ about the price my week with the Viper Green Cayman S is up there with my all-time favourite press cars. More than one fellow hack who booked it out muttered “I’ll be keeping an eye open for that one when it’s de-fleeted…” and though the price was still pretty sturdy the new buyer can feel chuffed at bagging £27K’s worth of extras at Porsche GB’s expense.
Of course, since then we’ve had the Cayman R and, if you’re kicking yourself that you missed this beauty, there is at least consolation in the fact a brand new R at £51,728 is actually a little cheaper than the sticker price on this special S. There’s no escaping the fact that £2,365 worth of Viper Green paint does lend this car a special something though, Caymans always suiting strong, solid colours. It’s more arresting than the signature Peridot Metallic rolled out for the R too.
As ever when looking at fancier new Caymans there lurks the inevitable ‘what used 911 could I get for the same money…’ dilemma. One not helped by the fact 997 GT3s are just about within reach for this money…
This is by the by though. I can personally vouch for the fact that this very car is an absolute peach. And that Viper Green paintwork is appropriate given the envy I feel!
Porsche Cayman S
Engine: 3,346cc flat-6
Power (hp): 320@7,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 272@4,750rpm
MPG: 29.7mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 223g/km
First registered: March 2010
Recorded mileage: 7,318
Price new: £71,954
Yours for: £52,950
Dan
Base price including VAT £45,503.00
Options;
Viper Green (colour to sample paint) £2,365.00
Sports bucket seats with full leather interior £4,029.00
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) £1,030.00
Sport Chrono Package Plus ` £531.00
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) £5,349.00
Sport Shifter £380.00
Sports Exhaust system £1.434.00
Limited slip rear differential £753.00
19” Carrera Sport alloy wheels £1,521.00
Wheels painted in Basalt Black £991.00
AeroKit – Cayman £2,994.00
Cayman side strips £305.00
Bi-Xenon headlights with Dynamic Cornering £1,038.00
Hard-drive based satellite navigation system integrated
within Porsche Communication Management 3.0 system £1,945.00
Carbon interior package £578.00
Sound Package Plus £388.00
Universal audio interface (iPod compatible) £222.00
Telephone module for PCM £527.00
Floor mats £71.00
Total price including VAT £71,954.00
Dan
Base price including VAT £45,503.00
Options;
Viper Green (colour to sample paint) £2,365.00
Sports bucket seats with full leather interior £4,029.00
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) £1,030.00
Sport Chrono Package Plus ` £531.00
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) £5,349.00
Sport Shifter £380.00
Sports Exhaust system £1.434.00
Limited slip rear differential £753.00
19” Carrera Sport alloy wheels £1,521.00
Wheels painted in Basalt Black £991.00
AeroKit – Cayman £2,994.00
Cayman side strips £305.00
Bi-Xenon headlights with Dynamic Cornering £1,038.00
Hard-drive based satellite navigation system integrated
within Porsche Communication Management 3.0 system £1,945.00
Carbon interior package £578.00
Sound Package Plus £388.00
Universal audio interface (iPod compatible) £222.00
Telephone module for PCM £527.00
Floor mats £71.00
Total price including VAT £71,954.00
The Gen 2 engine is obviously more efficient but you would have to drive very conservatively to get that imo.
I'd say quite a few of those options are unnecessary on that car, £5340 for ceramic brakes for example. Are they really worth it on that!?
It seems Porsche have got over the early days of not even fitting an LSD to the Boxster or Cayman in case it showed up deficiencies in the high-profit margin 911. By charging nigh-on the same as a 911, so it is therefore allowed to be just as good because they make just as much money!
If I had the money personally though, still don't think I'd be able to choose a newish Cayman over a slightly older GT3 911, purely as the depreciation would cause a divorce in our house.
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