Cayman goes legit (updated)

Newswheel staff :: 23 May 2005 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche Cayman, Europe & UK, US,

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First pictures of must-have mid-engine sportscar released

Is the Porsche Cayman the most hotly anticipated car of 2005? Well, if it isn’t, we’d like to know what is. Whatever, the first pictures of this new mid-engine, tin-top, Boxster-derived two-seater (that’s enough compound words – Ed) have been released. Joy! We’ll hold fire on our views for now, except to modestly point out / sing from the rafters (delete as applicable) that we got it bang on when we predicted the much debated rear end styling would sport, “a glass hatch flanked by a pair of ridges that suggest flying buttresses.”

Devil in the details
The surprises in terms of the technical details are few and far between. The car’s 3.4-litre flat -six engine punches out 295bhp, enough for a 171 mph top speed and a 0-62mph dash of 5.4 seconds. We fancy Porsche has probably been a whisker conservative with that last figure to allow a little on-paper breathing space for the 911. Torque output, meanwhile, hits 251lb/ft at 4,400rpm and maintains that figure until fully 6,000rpm. Other than that it’s pure Boxster, with the all-round strut suspension and track and wheelbase measurements carried over untouched from the rag-top. The only slight earwig in the spec-list custard, so-to-speak, is a kerb weight of 1,340kg - that’s 5kg more than the Boxster. Nevertheless, with better weight distribution than the rear-engined 911, the new mid-engined coupe is expected to be the quicker car point-to-point, if not in a straight line. While that should make the Cayman S the driver’s choice, will it be enough to differentiate the car in the view of most customers? With the Boxster S packing around 280bhp and weighing in at 1,335kg and the base 911 boasting 320bhp to heave its 1,395, Porsche’s mid-range line-up is getting awfully busy.

The sordid matter of money
As for pricing, the Cayman S is expected to hurt you to the tune of £44,000 in the UK and $58,900 in the US of A. Depending on how you look at it, that’s either:

1. A 24-carat, bone fide bargain in absolute terms since there’s likely nothing that will come close in terms of the overall driving and ownership experience at this price or
2. An unconscionable rip-off in relative terms given the fact that Porsche charge more for the soft-top 911 than its tin-top sibling.

One thing, however, is for sure. Porsche will be making a mint on every Cayman sold. If it secures the future of the firm and guarantees more great future models, we can live with that.

Click images below for ultra-high res versions:




Linkage:
Official Cayman site