Jalopnik: Porsche Cayman R announced at LA Auto Show

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http://jalopnik.com/5692011/porsche-cayman-r-faster-lighter-and-thankfully-not-another-911

The new Porsche Cayman R is 121 lb lighter and has ten more horses than the Cayman S. It's the perfect Cayman for those who think it needed just a touch more power and a touch less weight. OK, so we were right that Porsche would unveil a new Cayman here at the LA Auto Show. But we were a little off on the name. But so what if Porsche decided not to call it the Clubsport? The name doesn't matter. What does matter is that the guy down the hall from your office in GoldmanSaxFifthAvenue's going to be able to one-up you unless you buy the new Cayman first. And we wouldn't want that. So let's hear the stats. The new coup?'s powered by a tuned-up 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine developing 330 hp. In the standard configuration it transmits its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox that propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.0 seconds. The new mid-engine coup? is capable of a top speed of 282 km/h (175 mph) with manual gearbox, or 280 km/h (174 mph) with PDK. Well, so what if it's another variant, at least it's a Cayman and not another 997-based Porsche 911.
 
TWO engine upgrades from the base Cayman, and it still makes less power than the 911 Carrera? I agree with Clarkson on this one--I'd like the car in isolation, but knowing that they could have made it much better, but chose not to, just to preserve the 911's traditional place in Porsche's lineup...it sours the taste.
 
TWO engine upgrades from the base Cayman, and it still makes less power than the 911 Carrera? I agree with Clarkson on this one--I'd like the car in isolation, but knowing that they could have made it much better, but chose not to, just to preserve the 911's traditional place in Porsche's lineup...it sours the taste.

If you were working in Porsche marketing and your job was on the line, you probably wouldn't them them to cross over either :lol:
 
If you were working in Porsche marketing and your job was on the line, you probably wouldn't them them to cross over either :lol:

When the Camaro Z28 comes out, the most powerful Camaro will be more powerful than the least-powerful Corvette. I don't see why Porsche couldn't do the same thing with the Cayman and 911.

And I think it's a shame when the engineers are catering to the marketing people, instead of vice versa, at a frickin' sports car company.
 
When the Camaro Z28 comes out, the most powerful Camaro will be more powerful than the least-powerful Corvette. I don't see why Porsche couldn't do the same thing with the Cayman and 911.

And I think it's a shame when the engineers are catering to the marketing people, instead of vice versa, at a frickin' sports car company.

Not really catering, more like 'ordered to' by their bosses. Porsche CEOs are to blame and threaten with angry letters, not the engineers. Engineers are just skilled workers, they don't make the big decisions. Take out the big bosses (think evil columbian drug lords) at the top, and then they won't be around to make stupid decisions. That's your mission.
 
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Instead of making the Cayman less powerful than the 911, give the 911 more power.

I think 345 horsepower is more than enough for the base 911. What I don't like is this belief that the Cayman, a superb mid-engined sports car in its own right, should never have as much horsepower as a base 911 Carrera, even if it's the super-duper-high-performance Cayman.
 
Hey cool, Boxster Spyder upgrades for the Cayman. Nobody saw that coming.
 
I think 345 horsepower is more than enough for the base 911. What I don't like is this belief that the Cayman, a superb mid-engined sports car in its own right, should never have as much horsepower as a base 911 Carrera, even if it's the super-duper-high-performance Cayman.

Your mission: assassinate the CEO of Porsche and take his place, steer the company in the right direction
 
I like the cayman S. I think its more of a 911 than the current 911 (but that's another topic). I think the rear looks funny because the rear arches are hunched rather than hipped.

However I think the R is a marketing gimmick. They lost 50kg but it has no AC or radio call me soft but most people will spec those back in then you down to a 25kg saving and 10bhp.

I'd like to see a cayman with 80bhp more and 50KG less (with AC). I'd have a 2nd hand one and spend the money on getting more power and weight out of it.
 
I like the cayman S. I think its more of a 911 than the current 911 (but that's another topic). I think the rear looks funny because the rear arches are hunched rather than hipped.

However I think the R is a marketing gimmick. They lost 50kg but it has no AC or radio call me soft but most people will spec those back in then you down to a 25kg saving and 10bhp.

I'd like to see a cayman with 80bhp more and 50KG less (with AC). I'd have a 2nd hand one and spend the money on getting more power and weight out of it.

I see no reason why they couldn't fit the 385 hp engine from the Carrera S into the Cayman R. Hell, setting history aside, a Cayman might make a better platform for the GT3 than the 911 does.
 
Chris Harris on why the Cayman R shouldn't exist

In 1967 Porsche built its first dedicated racing car based on the 911, it was called the ?R? for ?rennen?, or ?racing?. To homolgate the machine for the GT class required a production run of 500 vehicles, and that wasn?t possible so the car was built as a prototype.

5976009C-BDF2-EB86-18048304F265326D.jpg

1967 911R. 210bhp, 830kg. 24 built.

The bodyshell was made by Karl Bauer and featured GRP front wings, bonnet, boot lid and bumpers. Even the dashboard had plastic elements. The side glass was replaced with Perspex and the rear window was 2mm thick plastic. The doors were aluminium and everything that could have a hole drilled in it to make it lighter did, like the floor.

By the time they?d finished stripping the kilos away, the car weighed 830kg. And that included the most spectacular motor ever fitted to a 911: the Carrera 6?s 2-litre flat 6.

Using titanium rods and running in eight bearings, surrounded by magnesium cases it produced 210bhp at 8000rpm and sounded, indeed still sounds, about as good as any engine ever made. Do the maths for yourself on this one: in 1967 the 911R had a power to weight ratio of 254bhp per tonne: nothing else came close. When people talk about the 2.7RS being the true lightweight, they are sadly mistaken ?it?s an S-Class next to one of these. 24 were built.

Imagine Porsche taking a GT3 RS, re-shelling it in carbon, adding a Carrera GT motor and entering it into Le Mans and you have an idea of the scale of the changes.

The 911 R was, and is, the most extreme representation of the Porsche 911 ever to wear number plates, this is why the ?R? moniker has been used so sparingly by Porsche. Occasionally a full-house race car will warrant it, to show the level of upgrade it represents over the previous machine, like this year?s GT3 R which is an altogether more serious package than a GT3 Cup.

But now, after 43 years absence, Porsche has decided to use this hallowed badge on a street car once again.

The Cayman R: a Cayman S with another 10bhp, that weighs 55kg less than a Cayman S. That?s it.

I have lost the will to write anything more on the subject, even though it'll probably be a decent drive.

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I know the cayman doesn't have a great reputation around here, but I have to admit that I love the car. Most of my experience with it is at auto-x events, and Caymans sweep the competition (as in other stock porsches, mostly 911s of all types) consistently. I believe that it is a niche car that gets its job done well. Plus it looks fantastic. An upgrade is mostly good news, though I think it should just replace the Cayman S, as the article above has a good point.
 
What I don't understand is why they couldn't have it this way:
Boxter - entry level cock mobile
Cayman (regular trim) - mid range sports car
911 - high end sports car

THEN:
Cayman (some kind of an uber trim) - focused midship sports car
911 (some kind of an uber trim) - focused REAR engined sports car

I understand that they don't want to undercut 911 sales in the general market but when it comes to the GT/RS versions of the vehicles which are really more geared towards track use there is no reason not to offer an MR and an RR with similar power/performance figures. There will absolutely be market for both in that world.
 
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Cayman R? Sounds more like the first avidence of the overtaking of Porsche due Volkswagen...

...They rather should call it the RS, like the Boxster with the Tent.
 
Looks like Porsche got bored of making a bazillion versions of the 911 and decided to start making a bazillion versions of the Cayman instead. I expect a Cayman RS, Cayman 4S, Cayman Targa, Cayman GT3, Cayman GT3 RS, Cayman GT2, Cayman GT2 RS etc. to be released by the years end. :yawn:
 
I like what Chris Harris wrote
 
Lots of people have been asking for a lighter, more focused Cayman, now it's here and people complain and regurgitate the same silly Clarksonisms about Porsche's model hierarchy...

This is a Porsche, and it's based on the Cayman, which has been universally praised for it's wonderful handling and driving involvement, it will be an excellent drivers car. The fact that giving the Cayman the "GT3 treatment", removing even the AC and the radio only saved 50 kg shows pretty well that the standard Cayman carries precious little excess fat around. Though I agree with Harris somewhat, they could have called it Club Sport (CS) in stead. Finally, if you spec up a standard Cayman S with the extra performance options this Cayman R has as standard, the specced up Cayman S will cost you more...

no lsd, no care
Good news, it's got one...
 
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