The Surprise Cayman
Discussion
A couple of people have asked me if I'm going to do a PH thread on this car since it's a bit unusual and it has quite a unique history, so here it is, the car I never thought about until I bought it - my 987 Cayman.
A friend had a Cayman way back in the mid 2000s and while it was undoubtedly a good car, it was a little too mainstream and refined for me - I don't commute and a sportscar is always the family's 3rd car so practicality is not really much of a consideration. All I really want from my 'Play Car' (as the wife calls it) is driving fun and the ability to hammer round a track for a day without becoming a financial or logistical burden.
So there I was, looking for something Lotus to replace my GT86 when a mate messages on our Le Mans Whatsapp group - he's selling his 996 GT3 and the buyer has a Cayman he needs to shift on to make space for the GT3 - Mikes exact words were "Someone should buy this before I do", he then followed it with a dozen reasons why it would suit me, the guy who owns Lotuses and 'interesting' cars.
I've known Mike for a while now, his taste in Porsches is always superb and his knowledge of the cars is comprehensive - in short, if Mike says it's a good buy, it's a good buy.
Long story short, I abandon the Lotus search and contact a very nice seller who also clearly knows his stuff and within a couple of calls I've depsited a downpayment in his account and Mike's driving the car up to mine (it was, by then stored in his barn). On receipt, the car is pristine - everything it promised to be and the (very reasonable) balance is paid straight away.
So, what is it? Well I first came across it in a PH feature article, way back in 2009 when Autofarm took a 3.4 Cayman S and rebuilt the engine to a 3.7 while adding a few extras - the aim was to showcase their range of Cayman products and create in essence the car Porsche weren't building - a Cayman RS or GT car.
Safe to say it had a mixed reaction on PH - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - with the general feeling that while the concept looked great, the price was a limiting factor and the wheels, which got a lot of stick (admittedly they didn't suit the car visually), but the 2022 car was quite a bit changed from the one featured back in 2009...
For a start the wheels are a bit more in keeping (if you can get over the fact they're gold
):
It's also had quite a lot of development over the years - it came with a comprehensive history folder with around £150k in maintenance and development costs, meaning the spec is extensive...
Engine -
Autofarm Silsleeve 3.7 transplant (with c.50k miles on it)
Capricorn pistons
Schrik sport cams
IPD Plenum
GT3 Throttle body
4” Underdrive pulley
Custom carbon air box
Low temp stat
Cup centre rad with full GT3 ducting
Motorsport A/O separator
Twin X51 head scavenge pumps
External Setrab oil cooler with Spal fan pack
Deep sump and extended pickup
Wevo semi-solid engine mounts
Stainless decat headers Miltek cat-back exhaust
Transmission -
Lightweight flywheel and clutch
Quaife LSD
Short shift kit
Suspension -
KW v3 coil overs
Rennline adjustable camber plates
RSS front lower arms
GT3 rear lower arms
RSS rear toe links
H&R anti roll bars
Carbon strut brace
Track Geo by RPM
Brakes -
Front Brembo GT 4-pot kit with 355mm floating discs
Rear GT3 callipers with custom hubs to take GT3 disc
RS29 pads all round
GT3 ducts
Braided hoses
GT3 master cylinder
RB660 fluid
Exterior -
Carbon bonnet
Carbon rear hatch with polycarbonate screen
Joe Toth Composites front FG splitter
GT3 bumper vent and ducting
19” OZ Ultraleggera wheels in gold
Zunsport bumper grilles
Speed Art carbon rear spoiler
Interior -
Recaro Pole Position seats
Heigo half cage with cross brace and harness bar
Factory Cup steering wheel
Alcantara shifter and hand brake
Additional water temp and oil pressure gauges
OBD2 ScanGauge
Fire extinguisher
Willans 6 point harnesses with GT3 sub bar
Oh, it was also mapped by Bob Watson to 367bhp, so it's a fair bit quicker than standard.
It's clear the previous owners (all relatively long term) have tried a few different ways to improve the car, with the succesful additions staying and the ones which were less so being shelved or replaced.
I can only appreciate their efforts - this seems to be a car that has had a lot of thought (and money!) put into it.
Pics to follow, as well as how it drives and what I plan to do with it in 2023....
A friend had a Cayman way back in the mid 2000s and while it was undoubtedly a good car, it was a little too mainstream and refined for me - I don't commute and a sportscar is always the family's 3rd car so practicality is not really much of a consideration. All I really want from my 'Play Car' (as the wife calls it) is driving fun and the ability to hammer round a track for a day without becoming a financial or logistical burden.
So there I was, looking for something Lotus to replace my GT86 when a mate messages on our Le Mans Whatsapp group - he's selling his 996 GT3 and the buyer has a Cayman he needs to shift on to make space for the GT3 - Mikes exact words were "Someone should buy this before I do", he then followed it with a dozen reasons why it would suit me, the guy who owns Lotuses and 'interesting' cars.
I've known Mike for a while now, his taste in Porsches is always superb and his knowledge of the cars is comprehensive - in short, if Mike says it's a good buy, it's a good buy.
Long story short, I abandon the Lotus search and contact a very nice seller who also clearly knows his stuff and within a couple of calls I've depsited a downpayment in his account and Mike's driving the car up to mine (it was, by then stored in his barn). On receipt, the car is pristine - everything it promised to be and the (very reasonable) balance is paid straight away.
So, what is it? Well I first came across it in a PH feature article, way back in 2009 when Autofarm took a 3.4 Cayman S and rebuilt the engine to a 3.7 while adding a few extras - the aim was to showcase their range of Cayman products and create in essence the car Porsche weren't building - a Cayman RS or GT car.
Safe to say it had a mixed reaction on PH - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - with the general feeling that while the concept looked great, the price was a limiting factor and the wheels, which got a lot of stick (admittedly they didn't suit the car visually), but the 2022 car was quite a bit changed from the one featured back in 2009...
For a start the wheels are a bit more in keeping (if you can get over the fact they're gold
):It's also had quite a lot of development over the years - it came with a comprehensive history folder with around £150k in maintenance and development costs, meaning the spec is extensive...
Engine -
Autofarm Silsleeve 3.7 transplant (with c.50k miles on it)
Capricorn pistons
Schrik sport cams
IPD Plenum
GT3 Throttle body
4” Underdrive pulley
Custom carbon air box
Low temp stat
Cup centre rad with full GT3 ducting
Motorsport A/O separator
Twin X51 head scavenge pumps
External Setrab oil cooler with Spal fan pack
Deep sump and extended pickup
Wevo semi-solid engine mounts
Stainless decat headers Miltek cat-back exhaust
Transmission -
Lightweight flywheel and clutch
Quaife LSD
Short shift kit
Suspension -
KW v3 coil overs
Rennline adjustable camber plates
RSS front lower arms
GT3 rear lower arms
RSS rear toe links
H&R anti roll bars
Carbon strut brace
Track Geo by RPM
Brakes -
Front Brembo GT 4-pot kit with 355mm floating discs
Rear GT3 callipers with custom hubs to take GT3 disc
RS29 pads all round
GT3 ducts
Braided hoses
GT3 master cylinder
RB660 fluid
Exterior -
Carbon bonnet
Carbon rear hatch with polycarbonate screen
Joe Toth Composites front FG splitter
GT3 bumper vent and ducting
19” OZ Ultraleggera wheels in gold
Zunsport bumper grilles
Speed Art carbon rear spoiler
Interior -
Recaro Pole Position seats
Heigo half cage with cross brace and harness bar
Factory Cup steering wheel
Alcantara shifter and hand brake
Additional water temp and oil pressure gauges
OBD2 ScanGauge
Fire extinguisher
Willans 6 point harnesses with GT3 sub bar
Oh, it was also mapped by Bob Watson to 367bhp, so it's a fair bit quicker than standard.
It's clear the previous owners (all relatively long term) have tried a few different ways to improve the car, with the succesful additions staying and the ones which were less so being shelved or replaced.
I can only appreciate their efforts - this seems to be a car that has had a lot of thought (and money!) put into it.
Pics to follow, as well as how it drives and what I plan to do with it in 2023....
Edited by EmBe on Tuesday 21st February 11:46
Edited by EmBe on Thursday 16th March 14:37
So - pics.
I don't have a lot, I bought it in late October and it's on track geo and Cup 2s, so it's seen more of the trickle charger than the road, but living in the Dales, it's had a few outings when the weather has been benign and the salt wasn't on the roads:
And I took these on the drive earlier:
I don't have a lot, I bought it in late October and it's on track geo and Cup 2s, so it's seen more of the trickle charger than the road, but living in the Dales, it's had a few outings when the weather has been benign and the salt wasn't on the roads:
And I took these on the drive earlier:
Edited by EmBe on Thursday 16th March 14:39
To drive:
In a word, sublime.
It's main focus is the track (the ridiculously big front lip is testament to that) but it works surprisingly well on the road too, with the KWs soaking up undulations and keeping the car planted - not quite Lotus road performance, but way, way better than I was expecting. And roadholding is superb, the PS2s and the camber meaning that on a dry road it changes direction like a fly - I was out on Sunday morning on a few favourite A and B roads and the speed it carries though bends is 20-30mph more than you think you're doing, it just feels so composed.
But it's still entertaining, which is important, given where I live (Yorks Dales) and the opportunities for weekend drives.
And the power delivery? Jesus. It's the instant nature that surprises - the lightweight flywheel and the size of the engine means you can leave it in 3rd and it pulls from 2000 revs without hesitation right up to the 7000 redline, with a distinctive Porsche guttoral howl over 5000.
Or you can drop a cog and take off like a scalded cat, each gear coming very quickly indeed, with a commensurate piling on of speed.
God, I've gone all Troy Queef.
It's very good on the road. Better than I could have hoped. Although routes need to be planned with regard to speed bumps, and the odd humpback bridge has caused a cheek-clenching grating of the front lip.
I have 5 trackdays booked so far this year, with more to come - it's where I expect the car to really shine and it's had all the reliability mods I want to be able to hammer round a track for the day (head scavenge pump, centre rad) so I should really get to gel with it. First day is Donington on March 20th, I'll report back after that.
My plans for mods are restricted to perhaps putting the PCCM module in to replace the entertainment unit in the car, it's a direct Porsche replacement but has phone connectivity and brings the infotainment into the 21st Century.
I may also replace the splitter with a slightly less extreme one so I can use it a bit more freely on the road, but I want to try it as-is first on the track.
Bit of a long intro to the car - if you made it this far, well done I'll update as I track it and with any events/drives I do worth documenting.
In a word, sublime.
It's main focus is the track (the ridiculously big front lip is testament to that) but it works surprisingly well on the road too, with the KWs soaking up undulations and keeping the car planted - not quite Lotus road performance, but way, way better than I was expecting. And roadholding is superb, the PS2s and the camber meaning that on a dry road it changes direction like a fly - I was out on Sunday morning on a few favourite A and B roads and the speed it carries though bends is 20-30mph more than you think you're doing, it just feels so composed.
But it's still entertaining, which is important, given where I live (Yorks Dales) and the opportunities for weekend drives.
And the power delivery? Jesus. It's the instant nature that surprises - the lightweight flywheel and the size of the engine means you can leave it in 3rd and it pulls from 2000 revs without hesitation right up to the 7000 redline, with a distinctive Porsche guttoral howl over 5000.
Or you can drop a cog and take off like a scalded cat, each gear coming very quickly indeed, with a commensurate piling on of speed.
God, I've gone all Troy Queef.
It's very good on the road. Better than I could have hoped. Although routes need to be planned with regard to speed bumps, and the odd humpback bridge has caused a cheek-clenching grating of the front lip.
I have 5 trackdays booked so far this year, with more to come - it's where I expect the car to really shine and it's had all the reliability mods I want to be able to hammer round a track for the day (head scavenge pump, centre rad) so I should really get to gel with it. First day is Donington on March 20th, I'll report back after that.
My plans for mods are restricted to perhaps putting the PCCM module in to replace the entertainment unit in the car, it's a direct Porsche replacement but has phone connectivity and brings the infotainment into the 21st Century.
I may also replace the splitter with a slightly less extreme one so I can use it a bit more freely on the road, but I want to try it as-is first on the track.
Bit of a long intro to the car - if you made it this far, well done
I'll update as I track it and with any events/drives I do worth documenting.So, yesterday was the first trackday in the Cayman, a rainy day at Donington. Fortunately I'd booked a garage so at least I'd be dry when I wasn't in the car.
However, a first trackday in an unfamiliar car with lots of camber and Cup 2s on a very wet Donington.....bit daunting even though I've been driving Donington for well over 20 years.
However, I got out there and slithered around through the rivers at Old Hairpin and the pond at the Esses. Cup 2s are OKish in standing water, but I decided to keep PASM on and just use 'Sport' mode initially.
Although there wasn't a lot of lateral grip, the car went and stopped well and broke away progressively. Even in the wet it wasn't as prone to understeer as I'd feared.
I was also joined by another Cayman trackdayer, Dave who spotted the car and came over for a look - I asked him if he wanted to shelter in the garage and before long we had his mate Mark in the garage in a similar looking Cayman to mine (but with a bigger wing, I have wing envy).
It was great to meet like-minded Porsche owners who aren't too precious about their cars and are keen to use them on track - Dave also gave me a crash (not literally) course on Cayman ownership - all those things about a car you never knew until someone told you, very helpful.
As the morning wore on, a dry line appeared and I dared to push the car a bit harder, it really communicates what it's doing and I began to remember how to drive a mid-engined car again. I cut short the morning as quite a few people let their confidence overcome their talent when they found themselves off the dry line and onto damp tarmac and 3 yellows appeared in a single lap - Javelin though seemed to handle things well and there were minimal stoppages and respect among drivers - good to see on a busy trackday.
After lunch the track was completely dry so I turned off the PASM and had session after session of fun - the best description I could come up with was that the car felt like a grown up Exige, but with more power and a far, far better soundtrack. I'm sure the suspension mods and geometry plays a large part but the car was easy to place on track, communicative and, when things start to go south, progressive and responsive to inputs. Oh, and the easiest car to heel and toe I've ever owned, I gelled immediately making it a joy to change down into a corner - although with the torque of the Autofarm 3.7 engine, I was changing far less than I expected to.
In all, a good day - I'm glad I got to drive in both wet and dry, but I'd rather it had been dry first. Very pleased with my purchase, and also pleased to find that there are others with track modified Caymans out there doing the same thing. When the Javelin photos come though I'll post some up here, but until then, roll on Good Friday where I'm at Croft with a mate in his Emira (if he gets it back from Lotus in time. Again
)
However, a first trackday in an unfamiliar car with lots of camber and Cup 2s on a very wet Donington.....bit daunting even though I've been driving Donington for well over 20 years.
However, I got out there and slithered around through the rivers at Old Hairpin and the pond at the Esses. Cup 2s are OKish in standing water, but I decided to keep PASM on and just use 'Sport' mode initially.
Although there wasn't a lot of lateral grip, the car went and stopped well and broke away progressively. Even in the wet it wasn't as prone to understeer as I'd feared.
I was also joined by another Cayman trackdayer, Dave who spotted the car and came over for a look - I asked him if he wanted to shelter in the garage and before long we had his mate Mark in the garage in a similar looking Cayman to mine (but with a bigger wing, I have wing envy).
It was great to meet like-minded Porsche owners who aren't too precious about their cars and are keen to use them on track - Dave also gave me a crash (not literally) course on Cayman ownership - all those things about a car you never knew until someone told you, very helpful.
As the morning wore on, a dry line appeared and I dared to push the car a bit harder, it really communicates what it's doing and I began to remember how to drive a mid-engined car again. I cut short the morning as quite a few people let their confidence overcome their talent when they found themselves off the dry line and onto damp tarmac and 3 yellows appeared in a single lap - Javelin though seemed to handle things well and there were minimal stoppages and respect among drivers - good to see on a busy trackday.
After lunch the track was completely dry so I turned off the PASM and had session after session of fun - the best description I could come up with was that the car felt like a grown up Exige, but with more power and a far, far better soundtrack. I'm sure the suspension mods and geometry plays a large part but the car was easy to place on track, communicative and, when things start to go south, progressive and responsive to inputs. Oh, and the easiest car to heel and toe I've ever owned, I gelled immediately making it a joy to change down into a corner - although with the torque of the Autofarm 3.7 engine, I was changing far less than I expected to.
In all, a good day - I'm glad I got to drive in both wet and dry, but I'd rather it had been dry first. Very pleased with my purchase, and also pleased to find that there are others with track modified Caymans out there doing the same thing. When the Javelin photos come though I'll post some up here, but until then, roll on Good Friday where I'm at Croft with a mate in his Emira (if he gets it back from Lotus in time. Again
)scottos said:
That looks an awesome bit of kit, seems like a great purchase!
Where abouts are you located in the Dales? I get out driving that way fairly often, although normally stick North of the 66 in the Pennines, i'll keep an eye out!
I'm near Richmond - I also stick mainly to the roads above the 66 - Teesdale and Weardale, in fact I spotted your (epic, BTW) car up at Hartside last year (we were in the wife's car at the time so you won't have spotted us).Where abouts are you located in the Dales? I get out driving that way fairly often, although normally stick North of the 66 in the Pennines, i'll keep an eye out!
I bought a Cayman S recently with plenty of mods done to it. They are a fantastic car and I can't believe it has taken me so long to get out of a 911 and into one. I am sure if Porsche had started with mid engine cars they would not have bothered with rear engined ones!! Please keep us posted on your journey with this lovely set up car.
EmBe said:
I'm near Richmond - I also stick mainly to the roads above the 66 - Teesdale and Weardale, in fact I spotted your (epic, BTW) car up at Hartside last year (we were in the wife's car at the time so you won't have spotted us).
Not far at all then and cracking, i'll keep an eye out for the Cayman, hoping to be out a lot this spring/ summer once the car is sorted. Did a euro trip in a friends 2.9 cayman in 2018 and i've had a big appreciation for them ever since then.Thanks for the kind words on the car, it's fighting me at the minute, hopefully be out in it soon!
Fantastic buy and a car I've always admired!
.
Lovely car with a great development history OP and just the best thing to do a track day in if you've got to drive there and back as well. Hope to see you on a track day at some point in the future.
EmBe said:
Engine -
Autofarm Silsleeve 3.7 transplant (with c.50k miles on it)
Capricorn pistons
Schrik sport cams
IPD Plenum
GT3 Throttle body
4” Underdrive pulley
Custom carbon air box
Low temp stat
Cup centre rad with full GT3 ducting
Motorsport A/O separator
Twin X51 head scavenge pumps
External Setrab oil cooler with Spal fan pack
Deep sump and extended pickup
Wevo semi-solid engine mounts
Stainless decat headers Miltek cat-back exhaust
Aside from some minor bits that's the sister to the engine in my 996..... unsurprising as Autofarm did that one too and I think the same chap built both of them! We used a lot of the spec and results from this car to define the spec and targets for mine Autofarm Silsleeve 3.7 transplant (with c.50k miles on it)
Capricorn pistons
Schrik sport cams
IPD Plenum
GT3 Throttle body
4” Underdrive pulley
Custom carbon air box
Low temp stat
Cup centre rad with full GT3 ducting
Motorsport A/O separator
Twin X51 head scavenge pumps
External Setrab oil cooler with Spal fan pack
Deep sump and extended pickup
Wevo semi-solid engine mounts
Stainless decat headers Miltek cat-back exhaust
. Lovely car with a great development history OP and just the best thing to do a track day in if you've got to drive there and back as well. Hope to see you on a track day at some point in the future.
poppopbangbang said:
Aside from some minor bits that's the sister to the engine in my 996..... unsurprising as Autofarm did that one too and I think the same chap built both of them! We used a lot of the spec and results from this car to define the spec and targets for mine .
Lovely car with a great development history OP and just the best thing to do a track day in if you've got to drive there and back as well. Hope to see you on a track day at some point in the future.
I noticed in your 996 thread you mentioned an Autofarm engine, I assumed it was a sibling. . Lovely car with a great development history OP and just the best thing to do a track day in if you've got to drive there and back as well. Hope to see you on a track day at some point in the future.
It's a peach of an engine, so tractable. Not a race engine by any means; the previous owner suggested taking it for a remap to maximise bhp but I'd worry it would lose it's low end grunt which makes road driving such a pleasure. And as you say, for a car who's primary purpose is to be driven to a track, used all day and driven home, the engine works well - more power might make it a bit quicker on track but I'm not chasing tenths and it's not exactly slow.
A few Donington photos. Wet morning:
But drying out late morning into afternoon:
I have Croft booked on Friday, it's my local circuit (I live about 3 miles away as the crow flies) so there are a few people coming down for passenger laps as it's a bank holiday which should be fun. My mate also has his Emira back from the dealers (for now ) so it'll be interesting to compare the cars.
Then Donington again in 3 weeks time.
But drying out late morning into afternoon:
I have Croft booked on Friday, it's my local circuit (I live about 3 miles away as the crow flies) so there are a few people coming down for passenger laps as it's a bank holiday which should be fun. My mate also has his Emira back from the dealers (for now
) so it'll be interesting to compare the cars.Then Donington again in 3 weeks time.
croyde said:
Nice
Now I have always wondered, with an upgraded spec list such as yours, what do you tell the insurance company, or do you let a specialist deal with it?
Just the thought of explaining everything to the lad/lass on the other end of the phone at Admiral/Elephant/LV/Direct line
I asked the previous owner who he'd used (Classic Line), called them up and arranged to forward the list above to them for a quote. The people there deal with this sort of stuff all the time so they weren't phased thankfully. Some things bumped the cost up considerably (throttle body is treated like a turbo for instance, yet adds very little bhp) but others hardly at all.Now I have always wondered, with an upgraded spec list such as yours, what do you tell the insurance company, or do you let a specialist deal with it?
Just the thought of explaining everything to the lad/lass on the other end of the phone at Admiral/Elephant/LV/Direct line
It's on an agreed value policy (because it's far from a standard 06 Cayman) and it's not cheap - not quite 4 figures, but not too far off - however I can't imagine the cost to replicate the car if anything ever happened.
Back in the initial post I mentioned this......
I avoided a spinner in front by taking to the grass, and the grass took the splitter off. It also broke the mount for the GT3 centre rad but some zip ties meant I could carry on with the day, hoping that the low-hanging rad wouldn't catch on anything else....
I'm not convinced the rad is mounted correctly given that half of it was behind a splitter and therefore not in the airflow from the centre vent and also that this article shows a correctly mounted GT3 rad clearly higher up under the bumper. At the weekend I'm going to take the bumper off and investigate - the mounting frame looks like the corrct part from what I can see, but for some reason it seems low.
Worst case I'll look at a shallower radiator, best case I'll move the whole lot up or fabricate something to do that.
I have a less extreme splitter on order too, although I do quite like the 'clean' look without one:
Anyway, the day itself was a lot of fun - Croft is 10 minutes from where I live so I had a steady stream of visitors through the day, some of whom came out in the car and declared themselves suitably impressed. Also impressed was my friend with the Emira - he took the car out but coming from a supercharged Elise, I think he was a bit underwhelmed by the car's performance on track (he has the Touring pack rather than Track) - it's quick but leaned a lot in the bends although it gripped incredibly well. And it cost him £80k, while mine didn't. It definitely won the prize for the best looking and most talked about car in the paddock though, he had a stream of people taking photos and asking him about it.
It's a fantastic looking car, pictures don't do it justice:
As for the Porsche, it lapped all day quite happily, took out a bunch of friends and neighbours and was one of the quicker cars on the day. The loss of the splitter didn't have any noticeable effect on the handling, so if I can sort the low hanging rad I should be out in a couple of weeks back at Donington.
EmBe said:
I may also replace the splitter with a slightly less extreme one so I can use it a bit more freely on the road, but I want to try it as-is first on the track.
....well, Croft on Friday made my mind up for me when this happened:I avoided a spinner in front by taking to the grass, and the grass took the splitter off. It also broke the mount for the GT3 centre rad but some zip ties meant I could carry on with the day, hoping that the low-hanging rad wouldn't catch on anything else....
I'm not convinced the rad is mounted correctly given that half of it was behind a splitter and therefore not in the airflow from the centre vent and also that this article shows a correctly mounted GT3 rad clearly higher up under the bumper. At the weekend I'm going to take the bumper off and investigate - the mounting frame looks like the corrct part from what I can see, but for some reason it seems low.
Worst case I'll look at a shallower radiator, best case I'll move the whole lot up or fabricate something to do that.
I have a less extreme splitter on order too, although I do quite like the 'clean' look without one:
Anyway, the day itself was a lot of fun - Croft is 10 minutes from where I live so I had a steady stream of visitors through the day, some of whom came out in the car and declared themselves suitably impressed. Also impressed was my friend with the Emira - he took the car out but coming from a supercharged Elise, I think he was a bit underwhelmed by the car's performance on track (he has the Touring pack rather than Track) - it's quick but leaned a lot in the bends although it gripped incredibly well. And it cost him £80k, while mine didn't. It definitely won the prize for the best looking and most talked about car in the paddock though, he had a stream of people taking photos and asking him about it.
It's a fantastic looking car, pictures don't do it justice:
As for the Porsche, it lapped all day quite happily, took out a bunch of friends and neighbours and was one of the quicker cars on the day. The loss of the splitter didn't have any noticeable effect on the handling, so if I can sort the low hanging rad I should be out in a couple of weeks back at Donington.
Up there ^^^ I said....
I'm not convinced the rad is mounted correctly given that half of it was behind a splitter and therefore not in the airflow from the centre vent and also that this article shows a correctly mounted GT3 rad clearly higher up under the bumper. At the weekend I'm going to take the bumper off and investigate - the mounting frame looks like the corrct part from what I can see, but for some reason it seems low.
Worst case I'll look at a shallower radiator, best case I'll move the whole lot up or fabricate something to do that.
I have a less extreme splitter on order too, although I do quite like the 'clean' look without one:Well, because of that I haven't used the car much recently as the thought of hitting something and having a catastrophic coolant loss in the middle of nowhere tends to make spirited driving lose it's appeal.
So this weekend I attempted to remedy the low rad, I'd put it off until now mainly because I wanted to do a few jobs while the bumper was off but also because I wasn't convined I would get everything done in a day so waited for a BH weekend with at least 2 clear days.
It must be said I didn't take many photos but....
I removed the bumper, and sent the pictures to a group of Cayman trackdayers (see post above somewhere) to get their opinion - it seems likely that although there is a centre rad available for the 987, which is shared with the 997 the previous owner (or specifically, the place that did the work for him) used a 996 rad, the frame of which mounts to the same points but is slightly larger - they seem to have got round the problem of it not fitting by cutting a hole in the bottom of the bumper, putting some flimsy mesh over it and then hiding it behind Comedy Splitter(tm).
So I had 2 choices, either order the correct parts or try to make the one I have fit. Basing my decision on the fact that if I tried and failed to DIY a solution I'd be buying the parts anyway, I set out to fabricate something.
First off, remove the (broken) plastic mount that holds the rad which is temporarily supported with cable ties. You can see how much the lower fins have been bent by debris, but there are no leaks.
Then break out the ally angle and the stainless bar and fabricate something that holds the rad in the same way as the OEM plastic mount, but at a steeper angle - ducting sends air to the rad so I'm not too worried about losing a little efficiency and if the whole rad is in the airflow then there should be little to no difference anyway.
Not many pictures (hands covered in cutting oil from drilling stainless bar mostly), but here's the test fit of the bottom bracket:
And once the top bracket was on, a 'dry fit' revealed that although the bracket is visible through the hole, the whole assembly is now above the lower line of the bumper.
Now that's tucked away, I could fit the new, slightly less extreme splitter which served the additional purpose of covering the bodged hole in the lower side of the bumper - a few nuts and a lot of 3M tape will hopefully keep it attached:
So, what next? Well the centre grill in the bumper was made from the same cheap expanded mesh as the 'protection' used for the protruding rad....
....so I bought some stainless woven mesh to match the Zunsport side grilles, cut it to fit, gave it a few coats of primer and gloss black to match.
With the bumper refitted, the underside is now once again smooth, and the three grilles match one another.
I took a test drive which confirmed I can now (tentatively, this is still a low car) go over the less aggressive speedbumps and all temps stayed completely normal with no rattles or 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' of anything I'd fitted.
Job done, I rewarded myself like a true Yorkshireman....
EmBe said:
I'm not convinced the rad is mounted correctly given that half of it was behind a splitter and therefore not in the airflow from the centre vent and also that this article shows a correctly mounted GT3 rad clearly higher up under the bumper. At the weekend I'm going to take the bumper off and investigate - the mounting frame looks like the corrct part from what I can see, but for some reason it seems low.
Worst case I'll look at a shallower radiator, best case I'll move the whole lot up or fabricate something to do that.
I have a less extreme splitter on order too, although I do quite like the 'clean' look without one:
So this weekend I attempted to remedy the low rad, I'd put it off until now mainly because I wanted to do a few jobs while the bumper was off but also because I wasn't convined I would get everything done in a day so waited for a BH weekend with at least 2 clear days.
It must be said I didn't take many photos but....
I removed the bumper, and sent the pictures to a group of Cayman trackdayers (see post above somewhere) to get their opinion - it seems likely that although there is a centre rad available for the 987, which is shared with the 997 the previous owner (or specifically, the place that did the work for him) used a 996 rad, the frame of which mounts to the same points but is slightly larger - they seem to have got round the problem of it not fitting by cutting a hole in the bottom of the bumper, putting some flimsy mesh over it and then hiding it behind Comedy Splitter(tm).
So I had 2 choices, either order the correct parts or try to make the one I have fit. Basing my decision on the fact that if I tried and failed to DIY a solution I'd be buying the parts anyway, I set out to fabricate something.
First off, remove the (broken) plastic mount that holds the rad which is temporarily supported with cable ties. You can see how much the lower fins have been bent by debris, but there are no leaks.
Then break out the ally angle and the stainless bar and fabricate something that holds the rad in the same way as the OEM plastic mount, but at a steeper angle - ducting sends air to the rad so I'm not too worried about losing a little efficiency and if the whole rad is in the airflow then there should be little to no difference anyway.
Not many pictures (hands covered in cutting oil from drilling stainless bar mostly), but here's the test fit of the bottom bracket:
And once the top bracket was on, a 'dry fit' revealed that although the bracket is visible through the hole, the whole assembly is now above the lower line of the bumper.
Now that's tucked away, I could fit the new, slightly less extreme splitter which served the additional purpose of covering the bodged hole in the lower side of the bumper - a few nuts and a lot of 3M tape will hopefully keep it attached:
So, what next? Well the centre grill in the bumper was made from the same cheap expanded mesh as the 'protection' used for the protruding rad....
....so I bought some stainless woven mesh to match the Zunsport side grilles, cut it to fit, gave it a few coats of primer and gloss black to match.
With the bumper refitted, the underside is now once again smooth, and the three grilles match one another.
I took a test drive which confirmed I can now (tentatively, this is still a low car) go over the less aggressive speedbumps and all temps stayed completely normal with no rattles or 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' of anything I'd fitted.
Job done, I rewarded myself like a true Yorkshireman....
Edited by EmBe on Tuesday 9th May 12:22
Edited by EmBe on Tuesday 9th May 12:24
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