Cayman R -- Autocar's Best Driver's Car of the Year 2011
Discussion
Loved the Cayman R, had one for the weekend, curtesy of OPC Sheffield. In all honesty, those guys at Autocar must have the senses of the driving gods (I tend to take their word as gospell having subscribed for the last 15 years). I got out of the R into my S and thought, hmmmmmmmmmmm, the S isn't half bad you know!
The R felt newer than my S, as its clutch and brakes were beautifully balanced compared to my S, which are due for replacement relatively soon. But out on the twisties of the High Peak in Derbyshire, the R didn't feel a million miles away from the S. In handling and feedback terms, I'd give the R 10/10 and the S, hmmmm, 9.5/10. The R was firmer sprung than the S, and its limited slip diff made traction out of the corners that much better.
The only disappointment I had with the R was the noise, I thought it might have a Sports Exhaust as standard, but nope, so it sounded much like my S. Which isn't a bad thing, but if I'm going to spend £35,000 to change my S, I'd like it to sound different. Also, the sound deadening in the cabin works, but also lets in annoying noises, like the sound of the windscreen wiper relay, and the sound of water in the wheel arches on wet days.
Enjoy the pics...
The R felt newer than my S, as its clutch and brakes were beautifully balanced compared to my S, which are due for replacement relatively soon. But out on the twisties of the High Peak in Derbyshire, the R didn't feel a million miles away from the S. In handling and feedback terms, I'd give the R 10/10 and the S, hmmmm, 9.5/10. The R was firmer sprung than the S, and its limited slip diff made traction out of the corners that much better.
The only disappointment I had with the R was the noise, I thought it might have a Sports Exhaust as standard, but nope, so it sounded much like my S. Which isn't a bad thing, but if I'm going to spend £35,000 to change my S, I'd like it to sound different. Also, the sound deadening in the cabin works, but also lets in annoying noises, like the sound of the windscreen wiper relay, and the sound of water in the wheel arches on wet days.
Enjoy the pics...
There are some very nice R's out there with low miles and at list - £10k ...
There's a new one at list - £7k ....
Unfortunately these depreciate mine, but at least it was to my precise spec and --- it is exceeding my expectations for a good deal less than the cost of a GT3 RS MKII 3.8 ---
There's a new one at list - £7k ....
Unfortunately these depreciate mine, but at least it was to my precise spec and --- it is exceeding my expectations for a good deal less than the cost of a GT3 RS MKII 3.8 ---
I actually thought that Autocar has been very inconsistent with its views. A couple of months ago they rated the BMW 1M as better than a Cayman R. In today's mag it was a somewhat lowly 8th place. The GT3RS has consistently been recognised as the best compromise between road and track car and again today it was only 4th. I know that they reckoned the car was a shadow of it's former self but it's still a daft conclusion!
In truth I always thought the previous BMW vs Cayman R result was ridiculous but having no consistency to conclusions isn't great either. And Evora s 5th in a competition for best driver's car?
In truth I always thought the previous BMW vs Cayman R result was ridiculous but having no consistency to conclusions isn't great either. And Evora s 5th in a competition for best driver's car?
Edited by J-P on Wednesday 12th October 23:34
Beefmeister said:
And why no GT3 RS 4.0? Regarded as 'the dial turned up to 13' compared to the RS 3.8 by most who have driven it, so surely would have been the better car to include? I dare say it would have beaten the Cayman R.
Autocar are not the only mag to laud the Cayman R. Is is possible that in a non-track environment and outside the Evo triangle that the humble Cayman is actually the better drive ?Carl_Docklands said:
Autocar are not the only mag to laud the Cayman R. Is is possible that in a non-track environment and outside the Evo triangle that the humble Cayman is actually the better drive ?
It is not about whether the Cayman R is a great driver (great balance), it is about the GT3...both are hard tops, both porks.
a used Gt3 is the same price as a new Cyman R. and dun say you can't compare because that's exactly what everyone does. The Cayman R, for all it's lauded abilities, lacks the race engine. If you haven't driven a gt3, you will NOT know what I am talking about. That is the problem.....
hence, no demand for the R and it will depreciate worse than a Gt3......
If they had given it a 3.8 Carrera S engine, the result might be different. But they have not... so back to square 1 of a great handling car without THE engine........
khooni said:
...hence, no demand for the R and it will depreciate worse than a Gt3......
If they had given it a 3.8 Carrera S engine, the result might be different. But they have not... so back to square 1 of a great handling car without THE engine........
1M, M3 story.If they had given it a 3.8 Carrera S engine, the result might be different. But they have not... so back to square 1 of a great handling car without THE engine........
I agree the R & the 1M will depreciate faster because both lack a special engine.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The red thing is mine 
And I agree on the wheels, partially, I thought they looked ok, but I'd have the standard black wheels. Also, it came with sports seats, rather than the standard buckets. But why on earth didn't Porsche put the Sports Exhaust on it! I might have walked away thinking, right, Cayman R on the shopping list next spring.
I'm yet to drive a 997 GT3, so can't comment how much better it is, but I plan to test one in the spring.
I don't see how the GT3 can really be driven much quicker than the R, it changed direction like a stabbed rat, but look forward to being proved wrong.
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