Probando el Cayman
Porsche says they'll only lose 3% of 911 customers to the Cayman
Covering the ground between the Boxster and 911, Porsche believes, will attract a relatively young buyer who cannot afford a 911 but wants more performance than is available in the Boxster. As for the hardtop/convertible difference, we often prefer convertibles but recognize that coupes tend to make for better-performing cars. And some people just don't like roadsters, or don't have good weather for them--say, buyers in Seattle, where rain so often spoils nice drives.
The Cayman will be a hit. As a classic two-seat, mid-engined Porsche sports car, it is as safe as the Cayenne was risky, and the company is too conservative to build it if they weren't sure the demand was there. Its executives speak candidly about the gap it will fill.
"The 911 is still a very, very big commitment, and the roadster market is flat," said Michael Bartsch, chief operating officer of Porsche Cars North America in an interview in Siena.
More importantly, in Porsche's eyes, the Cayman will attract the upwardly mobile. The company expects more Cayman buyers will be people moving up from the Boxster than down from 911. Only 3% of customers, it projects, will be downsizing from the 911.
Do you agree?
Or will more 911 drivers opt for the Cayman?
-----------------------------------
Forbes First Drive: 2006 Porsche Cayman
Dan Lienert
This fall, the hottest trend in performance motoring is the conversion of hot-rod convertibles to hardtop coupes. DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ) has put a fixed roof on its Dodge Viper SRT-10 convertible. General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) is bringing to market the fastest Corvette ever, the Z06, which will be a hardtop 'Vette, not a convertible. At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW showed a hardtop version of its Z4 convertible, which looked great and seems likely to go into production.
Coupe versions are often more serious performance cars than their convertible counterparts. They are stiffer and tend to have sportier suspensions and more horsepower.
One of the finest of these new offerings is Porsche's forthcoming Cayman two-seater, which is a modified version of the company's Boxster convertible. The Cayman will go on sale on Jan. 14 in the U.S., with a price of $58,900. That's $14,000 more than an entry-level Boxster and $12,000 less than an entry-level, two-door Porsche 911.
Forbes.com recently traveled to Siena, Italy to take the first spin in the Cayman. For driving impressions and more information on the vehicle, please click here for the slide show.
The Cayman arrives at perhaps the busiest time in Porsche's history. The company now sells an SUV, the Cayenne, in addition to sports cars. It recently announced that in 2009 it will offer a sedan, the Panamera, which will take on BMW's 6 Series and Mercedes-Benz's CLS-Class in a segment that blends sports-car performance and styling with luxury-car interiors. The Panamera will have a front-mounted engine, unlike Porsche's sports cars, the engines of which are behind the passenger compartment. It will have rear-wheel drive and a new platform, or basic mechanical architecture.
While Porsche is spending over $1.2 billion on the Panamera's development, it is also beginning a project with Audi and Volkswagen (other-otc: VLKAF - news - people ) to develop gas/electric hybrid-vehicle technology. At the Frankfurt show, Porsche announced that by the decade's end it will offer a hybrid Cayenne, which will consume 15% less fuel than the regular model. This is not the first time the Cayenne and Volkswagen have been affiliated; VW's Touareg SUV is the Cayenne's sibling. Nor is it likely to be the last; two weeks after Frankfurt, Porsche chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking announced that his company would be taking an additional 20% stake in VW.
And while Porsche has much new material in the works, its current lineup is pretty fresh. The Boxster and 911 both recently had overhauls, and new, all-wheel drive versions of the 911 are going on sale this month.
All of this activity is thanks to Porsche's goal of 100,000 annual, global sales within a few years--a plan in which the Cayman will factor significantly. In Porsche's 2004/2005 fiscal year, which ended in July, the company sold 88,000 cars--an increase of 15% versus the last year. Porsche expects the Cayman will see more than 10,000 global sales in its first full-fiscal year on the market, of which 40% will come from the U.S. (40% of sales of other Porsche models come from the U.S.). Porsche expects to sell at least 20,000 Panameras per year when it arrives.
The overhauls to the Boxster and 911 have translated into sales successes for Porsche. In the recently ended fiscal year, global Boxster sales went up 39% to 18,009 and 911 sales went up 17% to 27,826. In the U.S., the Cayenne is now the best-selling Porsche by far--and the vehicle that saved the company when sales of its sports cars declined severely.
Financially, as usual, Porsche is on the rise. Its revenue increased by 7% in the last fiscal year to a record level of $8 billion. Profits increased again, although the company won't release those numbers until year's end. Porsche still claims to be the world's most profitable automaker.
The Cayman demonstrates Porsche's financial savvy, as it fills a gap in the company's lineup at minimal cost; it is based on the Boxster and not all-new.
Covering the ground between the Boxster and 911, Porsche believes, will attract a relatively young buyer who cannot afford a 911 but wants more performance than is available in the Boxster. As for the hardtop/convertible difference, we often prefer convertibles but recognize that coupes tend to make for better-performing cars. And some people just don't like roadsters, or don't have good weather for them--say, buyers in Seattle, where rain so often spoils nice drives.
The Cayman will be a hit. As a classic two-seat, mid-engined Porsche sports car, it is as safe as the Cayenne was risky, and the company is too conservative to build it if they weren't sure the demand was there. Its executives speak candidly about the gap it will fill.
"The 911 is still a very, very big commitment, and the roadster market is flat," said Michael Bartsch, chief operating officer of Porsche Cars North America in an interview in Siena.
More importantly, in Porsche's eyes, the Cayman will attract the upwardly mobile. The company expects more Cayman buyers will be people moving up from the Boxster than down from 911. Only 3% of customers, it projects, will be downsizing from the 911.
What delights us is that the Cayman fills that gap properly. One of the most self-assured and brilliantly engineered new cars coming to market, it springs from a proposition that is tasty to enthusiasts like us: What would happen if Porsche knuckled down and made the Boxster, a sexy and sophisticated toy, into a hardcore driver's car?
As if to prove its performance chops, Porsche will offer only a hot-rod Cayman, the Cayman S, at first. That's the car we drove. An entry-level Cayman will follow in the future, but Porsche officials in Siena declined to comment on when.
Covering the ground between the Boxster and 911, Porsche believes, will attract a relatively young buyer who cannot afford a 911 but wants more performance than is available in the Boxster. As for the hardtop/convertible difference, we often prefer convertibles but recognize that coupes tend to make for better-performing cars. And some people just don't like roadsters, or don't have good weather for them--say, buyers in Seattle, where rain so often spoils nice drives.
The Cayman will be a hit. As a classic two-seat, mid-engined Porsche sports car, it is as safe as the Cayenne was risky, and the company is too conservative to build it if they weren't sure the demand was there. Its executives speak candidly about the gap it will fill.
"The 911 is still a very, very big commitment, and the roadster market is flat," said Michael Bartsch, chief operating officer of Porsche Cars North America in an interview in Siena.
More importantly, in Porsche's eyes, the Cayman will attract the upwardly mobile. The company expects more Cayman buyers will be people moving up from the Boxster than down from 911. Only 3% of customers, it projects, will be downsizing from the 911.
Do you agree?
Or will more 911 drivers opt for the Cayman?
-----------------------------------
Forbes First Drive: 2006 Porsche Cayman
Dan Lienert
This fall, the hottest trend in performance motoring is the conversion of hot-rod convertibles to hardtop coupes. DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ) has put a fixed roof on its Dodge Viper SRT-10 convertible. General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) is bringing to market the fastest Corvette ever, the Z06, which will be a hardtop 'Vette, not a convertible. At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW showed a hardtop version of its Z4 convertible, which looked great and seems likely to go into production.
Coupe versions are often more serious performance cars than their convertible counterparts. They are stiffer and tend to have sportier suspensions and more horsepower.
One of the finest of these new offerings is Porsche's forthcoming Cayman two-seater, which is a modified version of the company's Boxster convertible. The Cayman will go on sale on Jan. 14 in the U.S., with a price of $58,900. That's $14,000 more than an entry-level Boxster and $12,000 less than an entry-level, two-door Porsche 911.
Forbes.com recently traveled to Siena, Italy to take the first spin in the Cayman. For driving impressions and more information on the vehicle, please click here for the slide show.
The Cayman arrives at perhaps the busiest time in Porsche's history. The company now sells an SUV, the Cayenne, in addition to sports cars. It recently announced that in 2009 it will offer a sedan, the Panamera, which will take on BMW's 6 Series and Mercedes-Benz's CLS-Class in a segment that blends sports-car performance and styling with luxury-car interiors. The Panamera will have a front-mounted engine, unlike Porsche's sports cars, the engines of which are behind the passenger compartment. It will have rear-wheel drive and a new platform, or basic mechanical architecture.
While Porsche is spending over $1.2 billion on the Panamera's development, it is also beginning a project with Audi and Volkswagen (other-otc: VLKAF - news - people ) to develop gas/electric hybrid-vehicle technology. At the Frankfurt show, Porsche announced that by the decade's end it will offer a hybrid Cayenne, which will consume 15% less fuel than the regular model. This is not the first time the Cayenne and Volkswagen have been affiliated; VW's Touareg SUV is the Cayenne's sibling. Nor is it likely to be the last; two weeks after Frankfurt, Porsche chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking announced that his company would be taking an additional 20% stake in VW.
And while Porsche has much new material in the works, its current lineup is pretty fresh. The Boxster and 911 both recently had overhauls, and new, all-wheel drive versions of the 911 are going on sale this month.
All of this activity is thanks to Porsche's goal of 100,000 annual, global sales within a few years--a plan in which the Cayman will factor significantly. In Porsche's 2004/2005 fiscal year, which ended in July, the company sold 88,000 cars--an increase of 15% versus the last year. Porsche expects the Cayman will see more than 10,000 global sales in its first full-fiscal year on the market, of which 40% will come from the U.S. (40% of sales of other Porsche models come from the U.S.). Porsche expects to sell at least 20,000 Panameras per year when it arrives.
The overhauls to the Boxster and 911 have translated into sales successes for Porsche. In the recently ended fiscal year, global Boxster sales went up 39% to 18,009 and 911 sales went up 17% to 27,826. In the U.S., the Cayenne is now the best-selling Porsche by far--and the vehicle that saved the company when sales of its sports cars declined severely.
Financially, as usual, Porsche is on the rise. Its revenue increased by 7% in the last fiscal year to a record level of $8 billion. Profits increased again, although the company won't release those numbers until year's end. Porsche still claims to be the world's most profitable automaker.
The Cayman demonstrates Porsche's financial savvy, as it fills a gap in the company's lineup at minimal cost; it is based on the Boxster and not all-new.
Covering the ground between the Boxster and 911, Porsche believes, will attract a relatively young buyer who cannot afford a 911 but wants more performance than is available in the Boxster. As for the hardtop/convertible difference, we often prefer convertibles but recognize that coupes tend to make for better-performing cars. And some people just don't like roadsters, or don't have good weather for them--say, buyers in Seattle, where rain so often spoils nice drives.
The Cayman will be a hit. As a classic two-seat, mid-engined Porsche sports car, it is as safe as the Cayenne was risky, and the company is too conservative to build it if they weren't sure the demand was there. Its executives speak candidly about the gap it will fill.
"The 911 is still a very, very big commitment, and the roadster market is flat," said Michael Bartsch, chief operating officer of Porsche Cars North America in an interview in Siena.
More importantly, in Porsche's eyes, the Cayman will attract the upwardly mobile. The company expects more Cayman buyers will be people moving up from the Boxster than down from 911. Only 3% of customers, it projects, will be downsizing from the 911.
What delights us is that the Cayman fills that gap properly. One of the most self-assured and brilliantly engineered new cars coming to market, it springs from a proposition that is tasty to enthusiasts like us: What would happen if Porsche knuckled down and made the Boxster, a sexy and sophisticated toy, into a hardcore driver's car?
As if to prove its performance chops, Porsche will offer only a hot-rod Cayman, the Cayman S, at first. That's the car we drove. An entry-level Cayman will follow in the future, but Porsche officials in Siena declined to comment on when.
-
fmk
bueno no esta mal...
Je , no quieren retomar en diseño al 928 o el 944 , pues hala a hacer todos iguales , ya tinen mas posibilidades para el diseño del siguiente:
mezclar el 911 el boxster el cayene el jaguar y el yunday y "YA tenemos el ARMADILLO"
en linea es incluso mas bonito el "PA-RRAMERA" que este.
La estan cagando haciendo replicas esteticas del 911 a todos sus coches, o incluso hibridos con mitad porsche y mitad estilo de otra marca.
me encantaria cualquier coche de los modernos de porsche, pero joder, podian variar un poquito, ser mas originales y todo eso.
Repito que me encantaría tener cualquiera pero me sigue gustando mas la linea del 944, aunque ansie tener un Guevito (perdon un 911), así son las cosas.
y eso de que es el clasico el puro, el autentico, venga ya, es solo el que mas vende, asi de simple.
Que agusto me he quedao ...
mezclar el 911 el boxster el cayene el jaguar y el yunday y "YA tenemos el ARMADILLO"
en linea es incluso mas bonito el "PA-RRAMERA" que este.
La estan cagando haciendo replicas esteticas del 911 a todos sus coches, o incluso hibridos con mitad porsche y mitad estilo de otra marca.
me encantaria cualquier coche de los modernos de porsche, pero joder, podian variar un poquito, ser mas originales y todo eso.
Repito que me encantaría tener cualquiera pero me sigue gustando mas la linea del 944, aunque ansie tener un Guevito (perdon un 911), así son las cosas.
y eso de que es el clasico el puro, el autentico, venga ya, es solo el que mas vende, asi de simple.Que agusto me he quedao ...
New Porsche Cayman combines best of Boxster and 911
12 October 2005
Cynical punters will have Porsche's new Cayman sports coupe pinned as a Boxster with a roof and, well, they'll be right.
More scathing cynics will see it as a car bred by the suits in the marketing department rather than a love child of the white coats from Porsche. And, yes, they'd be right to point too.
The Cayman is these things, a third sportscar model that fits very neatly in between the Boxster and the 911. But what the cynics don't know is that very aspect fits so perfectly that this new Porsche offers the best of both Zuffenhausen's existing sports cars.
The 3.4 litre flat six is 200cc bigger than the Boxster S and 200cc down on the 911. It's out put of 217kW at 6250rpm is in the middle, the 340Nm of torque is tuned to shade the Boxster but leave the 911 rosy in the sun. But what makes it sweet is the price.
At $155,000, its just 15k more than Boxster S but $45k less than the base Carrera. What it is is a cracking good sports car. We sampled the manual version around the Siena region and the Cayman rounds up challenging roads quicker than it's name sake can chomp down a kipper.
The Boxster is a sharp tool but the Cayman is better. It has a harder edge to it and is more involving, more powerful, with real mid range urge, laser steering, and fabulous brakes. It's a flattering car to drive, well balanced and docile in bends but more importantly it can be tempted to dance with more throttle. In a statement, it's utterly brilliant to drive.
Based on the Boxster, the Cayman's chassis is twice as stiff in terms of flex and on par with the 911 in torsional rigidity. Good news for a platform that was no wet sock to begin with.
Springs, dampers and roll bars all get meaner in attitude to whip the body roll in to shape and take corner speeds to new levels, while impressive brakes reign the Cayman in with consummate ease.
The six speed transmission is carried over from Boxster but has slightly lower first and second gears to help with acceleration, letting Cayman hit 100km/h in a Porsche timed 5.4 seconds. Cayman S comes standard with Porsche Stability Management and can be optioned with their adaptive PASM suspension and Sport Chrono pack. And if you're serious about picks, fit the 350mm carbon ceramic discs and six pot callipers, not cheap but devastatingly effective. Regular alloys are of the 18 inch variety but aren't attractive.
Perhaps it's a cunning ploy to get people to plump for the seriously sexy 19s that make this Porsche look very Ferrari 360-like in shades of red and yellow.
As far as parts sharing go, Porsche claim 20 per cent are Cayman specific, with 29 per cent carried over form Boxster and 51 per cent shared with the 911.
Porsche's defence in the case of Cayman vs the cynics, reads like this: while the Cayman S is based on the Boxster, it is fair to say that we have created an all new and completely different car on this platform.
All of the components and criteria which really count - the engine, the body, the chassis and suspension as well as the car's space concept (no Porsche don't want to go to the moon, we think they mean design and packaging) are brand new and come in a combination never seen before. They did also say the Cayman costs more to produce than the Boxster without figuring in development costs.
The Cayman is just another step in Porsche's plan to sell 100,000 units a year and boost its already fat profits. Along with interests in Volkswagen, the company is readying its Panamera four-door using a unique platform solely developed by Porsche. Also on the agenda and near ready is a Cayenne hybrid developd in conjunction with the VW Group.
12 October 2005
Cynical punters will have Porsche's new Cayman sports coupe pinned as a Boxster with a roof and, well, they'll be right.
More scathing cynics will see it as a car bred by the suits in the marketing department rather than a love child of the white coats from Porsche. And, yes, they'd be right to point too.
The Cayman is these things, a third sportscar model that fits very neatly in between the Boxster and the 911. But what the cynics don't know is that very aspect fits so perfectly that this new Porsche offers the best of both Zuffenhausen's existing sports cars.
The 3.4 litre flat six is 200cc bigger than the Boxster S and 200cc down on the 911. It's out put of 217kW at 6250rpm is in the middle, the 340Nm of torque is tuned to shade the Boxster but leave the 911 rosy in the sun. But what makes it sweet is the price.
At $155,000, its just 15k more than Boxster S but $45k less than the base Carrera. What it is is a cracking good sports car. We sampled the manual version around the Siena region and the Cayman rounds up challenging roads quicker than it's name sake can chomp down a kipper.
The Boxster is a sharp tool but the Cayman is better. It has a harder edge to it and is more involving, more powerful, with real mid range urge, laser steering, and fabulous brakes. It's a flattering car to drive, well balanced and docile in bends but more importantly it can be tempted to dance with more throttle. In a statement, it's utterly brilliant to drive.
Based on the Boxster, the Cayman's chassis is twice as stiff in terms of flex and on par with the 911 in torsional rigidity. Good news for a platform that was no wet sock to begin with.
Springs, dampers and roll bars all get meaner in attitude to whip the body roll in to shape and take corner speeds to new levels, while impressive brakes reign the Cayman in with consummate ease.
The six speed transmission is carried over from Boxster but has slightly lower first and second gears to help with acceleration, letting Cayman hit 100km/h in a Porsche timed 5.4 seconds. Cayman S comes standard with Porsche Stability Management and can be optioned with their adaptive PASM suspension and Sport Chrono pack. And if you're serious about picks, fit the 350mm carbon ceramic discs and six pot callipers, not cheap but devastatingly effective. Regular alloys are of the 18 inch variety but aren't attractive.
Perhaps it's a cunning ploy to get people to plump for the seriously sexy 19s that make this Porsche look very Ferrari 360-like in shades of red and yellow.
As far as parts sharing go, Porsche claim 20 per cent are Cayman specific, with 29 per cent carried over form Boxster and 51 per cent shared with the 911.
Porsche's defence in the case of Cayman vs the cynics, reads like this: while the Cayman S is based on the Boxster, it is fair to say that we have created an all new and completely different car on this platform.
All of the components and criteria which really count - the engine, the body, the chassis and suspension as well as the car's space concept (no Porsche don't want to go to the moon, we think they mean design and packaging) are brand new and come in a combination never seen before. They did also say the Cayman costs more to produce than the Boxster without figuring in development costs.
The Cayman is just another step in Porsche's plan to sell 100,000 units a year and boost its already fat profits. Along with interests in Volkswagen, the company is readying its Panamera four-door using a unique platform solely developed by Porsche. Also on the agenda and near ready is a Cayenne hybrid developd in conjunction with the VW Group.
Porsche Cayman S
By Stuart Birch of The Times
THERE is a bit of a problem with Porsche’s snappy new Cayman S coupé: you may not get the fuel consumption you hoped for. And it is for very sound reasons. As the Cayman’s 295bhp mid-engine reaches the high revs, it also reaches the high notes, creating the sort of sounds that have the driver performing cadenza after cadenza, squeezing the loud pedal, constantly changing gear — and damn the cost of the extra litres of fuel.
Porsche has long had this ability to create orchestral sounds. Originally it favoured wind instruments — its air-cooled engines for the earlier 911s — but now, with all engines liquid-cooled, it has got a handle on water music.
The Cayman, on sale in the UK from late November at a hefty starting price of £43,930 (£15,140 less than the cheapest 911 Carrera, £4,770 more than the most expensive Boxster) is one of the great sports cars of our time. It is not just the sounds it makes, it is the way its performance is delivered, its handling, its quality — and it has looks to buy for.
About 80 per cent of the car is a mix of Boxster S (29 per cent) and Carrera (51 per cent) parts, with the rest entirely new. Its 3.4-litre flat-six cylinder engine is based on the Boxster S but with cylinder heads from the 911, and it has VarioCam technology straight from the 911. Performance figures include 0-62mph in 5.4sec, 0-100mph in 11.7sec and on to a top speed of a little more than 170mph.
If you can resist the sounds temptation, official composite fuel consumption is an excellent 26.6mpg. Sampled on the winding, well-surfaced but sometimes grape harvest-stained and slippery roads of Tuscany, the Cayman was in its sharply responsive element, its chassis stability management system electronics giving a light touch of help if the car gave an unseemly wiggle when the throttle was squeezed too early on the exit from a sharp bend.
An option is the Sports Chrono Package, which modifies engine management and the stability management systems to maximise the car’s potential.
The Cayman’s six-speed manual gearbox is a quick delight to use with five-speed Tiptronic as an option for now, but is likely to be replaced by a double clutch auto-plus-manual system that is under development. Brakes are thoroughly reassuring but for those who want ultimate stopability, a carbon composite system is a £5,349 option. Wheels are 18-inch standard with 19-inch as options, steering is nicely weighted variable ratio rack and pinion.
Although Porsche puts emphasis on its seat design, for tall drivers (6ft plus) the rake is limited and the driving position can feel a little tight under the armpits. I did not suffer backache as I did recently in the otherwise fine Boxster S, but I was not truly comfortable in the Cayman and was constantly fiddling with the seat settings to find an ideal position. I failed.
View a photo gallery of the Porsche Cayman S
The car’s domed roof makes fitting a sunroof very difficult, say the Porsche designers, which is a pity because it would benefit from one. As for practicality, the Cayman scores highly. A tailgate gives access to a large luggage compartment and there is another compartment at the front. Total capacity is more than 14 cubic feet.
Running costs of the Cayman should be modest. Servicing is needed only every 20,000 miles or every two years and the car comes with a two-year warranty.
I have to declare an interest when it comes to Porsche. I have owned a 1988 911 3.2 Carrera for years and a great car it is. Today’s 911 is also a great sports car, but it has grown bigger and positively luxurious.
There is more to come from Porsche. A four-door sports saloon called the Panamera is being developed for sale in 2009 — so is an electric hybrid version of the big Cayenne SUV, to give 15 per cent improved fuel economy. There will probably be lower-powered and cheaper versions of the Cayman and further 911 choices.
What is certain is that they will each be able to create variations on the great sound that has always been the Porsche signature tune — and the hybrid Cayenne may even do it without putting up the fuel bill.
What is it?
Porsche Cayman S
Why will it be snapped up?
High quality, high performance, low depreciation, great looker, faster than a Boxster S, cheaper than a 911
Is there power with the glory?
3.4-litre, 295bhp engine — mixing Boxster and 911 technologies. Zero-62 mph in 5.4sec, top speed 171mph, fuel consumption 26.6mpg
We like?
Real sports car with surround-sound engine
We don’t like?
Tight driving position for tall people. No sunroof option
By Stuart Birch of The Times
THERE is a bit of a problem with Porsche’s snappy new Cayman S coupé: you may not get the fuel consumption you hoped for. And it is for very sound reasons. As the Cayman’s 295bhp mid-engine reaches the high revs, it also reaches the high notes, creating the sort of sounds that have the driver performing cadenza after cadenza, squeezing the loud pedal, constantly changing gear — and damn the cost of the extra litres of fuel.
Porsche has long had this ability to create orchestral sounds. Originally it favoured wind instruments — its air-cooled engines for the earlier 911s — but now, with all engines liquid-cooled, it has got a handle on water music.
The Cayman, on sale in the UK from late November at a hefty starting price of £43,930 (£15,140 less than the cheapest 911 Carrera, £4,770 more than the most expensive Boxster) is one of the great sports cars of our time. It is not just the sounds it makes, it is the way its performance is delivered, its handling, its quality — and it has looks to buy for.
About 80 per cent of the car is a mix of Boxster S (29 per cent) and Carrera (51 per cent) parts, with the rest entirely new. Its 3.4-litre flat-six cylinder engine is based on the Boxster S but with cylinder heads from the 911, and it has VarioCam technology straight from the 911. Performance figures include 0-62mph in 5.4sec, 0-100mph in 11.7sec and on to a top speed of a little more than 170mph.
If you can resist the sounds temptation, official composite fuel consumption is an excellent 26.6mpg. Sampled on the winding, well-surfaced but sometimes grape harvest-stained and slippery roads of Tuscany, the Cayman was in its sharply responsive element, its chassis stability management system electronics giving a light touch of help if the car gave an unseemly wiggle when the throttle was squeezed too early on the exit from a sharp bend.
An option is the Sports Chrono Package, which modifies engine management and the stability management systems to maximise the car’s potential.
The Cayman’s six-speed manual gearbox is a quick delight to use with five-speed Tiptronic as an option for now, but is likely to be replaced by a double clutch auto-plus-manual system that is under development. Brakes are thoroughly reassuring but for those who want ultimate stopability, a carbon composite system is a £5,349 option. Wheels are 18-inch standard with 19-inch as options, steering is nicely weighted variable ratio rack and pinion.
Although Porsche puts emphasis on its seat design, for tall drivers (6ft plus) the rake is limited and the driving position can feel a little tight under the armpits. I did not suffer backache as I did recently in the otherwise fine Boxster S, but I was not truly comfortable in the Cayman and was constantly fiddling with the seat settings to find an ideal position. I failed.
View a photo gallery of the Porsche Cayman S
The car’s domed roof makes fitting a sunroof very difficult, say the Porsche designers, which is a pity because it would benefit from one. As for practicality, the Cayman scores highly. A tailgate gives access to a large luggage compartment and there is another compartment at the front. Total capacity is more than 14 cubic feet.
Running costs of the Cayman should be modest. Servicing is needed only every 20,000 miles or every two years and the car comes with a two-year warranty.
I have to declare an interest when it comes to Porsche. I have owned a 1988 911 3.2 Carrera for years and a great car it is. Today’s 911 is also a great sports car, but it has grown bigger and positively luxurious.
There is more to come from Porsche. A four-door sports saloon called the Panamera is being developed for sale in 2009 — so is an electric hybrid version of the big Cayenne SUV, to give 15 per cent improved fuel economy. There will probably be lower-powered and cheaper versions of the Cayman and further 911 choices.
What is certain is that they will each be able to create variations on the great sound that has always been the Porsche signature tune — and the hybrid Cayenne may even do it without putting up the fuel bill.
What is it?
Porsche Cayman S
Why will it be snapped up?
High quality, high performance, low depreciation, great looker, faster than a Boxster S, cheaper than a 911
Is there power with the glory?
3.4-litre, 295bhp engine — mixing Boxster and 911 technologies. Zero-62 mph in 5.4sec, top speed 171mph, fuel consumption 26.6mpg
We like?
Real sports car with surround-sound engine
We don’t like?
Tight driving position for tall people. No sunroof option
Porsche to hit sales target before plan
Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:28 PM ET
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German luxury carmaker Porsche will hit its mid-term vehicles sales target earlier than planned, its sales chief told German industry newspaper Automobilwoche.
"We will not have to wait until 2008 to reach annual sales of 100,000 units," Hans Riedel said in an interview to be published on Monday.
In the fiscal year that ended in July, Porsche delivered 88,379 vehicles to customers, a rise of 15 percent.
In the current year, Riedel aims to up sales in the United States -- its most important market -- toward the 40,000 unit level from 34,100 in fiscal 2004/05.
Sales of the Boxster-derivative coupe Cayman are expected to total 10,000 units in its first full year on the market, he said. The car will first go on sale on November 26.
Riedel added that the target for the Panamera four-door sports coupe would amount to 20,000 in its first full year after launching in 2009.
The Porsche manager also said he soon wanted to increase the amount of vehicle sales generated in emerging markets to 10 percent from a current 8 percent.
Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:28 PM ET
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German luxury carmaker Porsche will hit its mid-term vehicles sales target earlier than planned, its sales chief told German industry newspaper Automobilwoche.
"We will not have to wait until 2008 to reach annual sales of 100,000 units," Hans Riedel said in an interview to be published on Monday.
In the fiscal year that ended in July, Porsche delivered 88,379 vehicles to customers, a rise of 15 percent.
In the current year, Riedel aims to up sales in the United States -- its most important market -- toward the 40,000 unit level from 34,100 in fiscal 2004/05.
Sales of the Boxster-derivative coupe Cayman are expected to total 10,000 units in its first full year on the market, he said. The car will first go on sale on November 26.
Riedel added that the target for the Panamera four-door sports coupe would amount to 20,000 in its first full year after launching in 2009.
The Porsche manager also said he soon wanted to increase the amount of vehicle sales generated in emerging markets to 10 percent from a current 8 percent.
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BERTERO
en mi opinion aunque sea un makina muii equilibrada no deja de ser una copia barata de un 911 i todo es 911 por que demonios no dejan de pensar en el 911 i se ponen manos a la obra i hacen algo completamente original a este paso ya se que ferrari es ferrari pero la verdad es que en diseño estan a años luz de los porsche actuales i como sigan a este paso seran inancanzables en diseño algo que antes porsche i ferrari siempre estavan al dia pero en la ctualidad porsche me esta decepcionando 
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BERTERO
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Vicente
Bueno, hay formas para todos los gustos. A mi, me parece un coche bellísimo, que ha conseguido trascender las líneas del 911. Es un diseño muy depurado. Se notan las horas de curro. Y el coche es un maquinón, a que negarlo. Se merienda a un 911 básico a no ser que sea en velocidad punta o en circuitos muy muy rápidos. Y desde luego ha de ser mas divertido de conducir, por la posición del motor y el peso. Espero con ansiedad el día en que ponga mis dos manos sobre ese volante. Si sacan el "RS" o "CS", seré el primero en firmar el pedido. 
Bufff! Y sin ánimo de incordiar, pero, en mi opinión el Carrera GT es un bisturí y el Merc, un hacha.
Bufff! Y sin ánimo de incordiar, pero, en mi opinión el Carrera GT es un bisturí y el Merc, un hacha.
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BERTERO
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Finisterrae944
Salva si nuestro amado 928 no destrono al 911 nadie lo hara,la linea sigue vigente en los nuevos modelos y no se saldran de alli hasta que los puristas accionarios que son mayoria cambien de opinion.
El Cayenne y el Panamera son nuevos vehiculos que salen al mercado por una cuestion de negocios,Porsche hoy no puede vivir de coches deportivos solamente tiene que inclinarse hacia el lado familiar o donde lo lleve la competencia para no quedarse atras.
Ademas Porsche tambien debe especular que tiene un publico muy grande de clasicos como lo somos todos nosotros y eso le permite que el que se cansa de un auto lo vende otro se lo compra porque un Porsche seguira siendo Porsche y el circulo seguira
Es largo de contar pero esto da para seguir y debatir
El Cayenne y el Panamera son nuevos vehiculos que salen al mercado por una cuestion de negocios,Porsche hoy no puede vivir de coches deportivos solamente tiene que inclinarse hacia el lado familiar o donde lo lleve la competencia para no quedarse atras.
Ademas Porsche tambien debe especular que tiene un publico muy grande de clasicos como lo somos todos nosotros y eso le permite que el que se cansa de un auto lo vende otro se lo compra porque un Porsche seguira siendo Porsche y el circulo seguira
Es largo de contar pero esto da para seguir y debatir
We drive the Porsche Cayman by Egmont Sippel
30/11/2005 09:09
Meet King Cay! Egmont Sippel takes you on an exhilarating drive of the all-new Porsche Cayman.
Imagine sitting in a capsule traveling at warp speed through a deserted desert landscape. Imagine also, a rise in the road, now shooting straight over a hill rimmed by the great blue yonder. In Oman, just a short drive from Dubai, it's going to carry on like this forever, not so?
Well, imagine then a ribbon of black tarmac veering off into a whole new direction - like an elbow bending back onto itself - just as you crest that hill.
Okay, it's not quite a hairpin. And you're not quite doing 300 km/h. Porsche's new Cayman S, to tell the truth, is only powered and geared for a top speed of 275 km/h.
But you're nevertheless barreling into the danger zone at a surplus that should impart the shudders, even to a sports car.
What to do?
First you have to survive the massive cardiac shock. To die prematurely now would not reflect well on your nerves. Then you should pray. But mostly you should just stay calm, hit the brakes and turn in.
Easy. At least in a Cayman S. The car doesn't even shudder, neither from a metaphorical fright or fear, nor from a vicious middle pedal assault.
Anchors on the S are outstandingly good, see - and we would have said phenomenal, if it wasn't prudent to save such-like praise for Porsche's optional PCCB ceramic composite brakes.
Our test car, riding on 18"-alloys instead of the 19"-option, nevertheless slaughters speed like a wild dog feasting on a duck.
Which is almost the word that flashes through your mind as the Cayman crests that hill. Duck! Here comes the horizon. Except that you are almost on opposite lock now, the Cayman just hinting at oversteer as you plant the throttle again, blazing out of harm's way through the negatively cambered downward-sloping exit of a corner called surprise.
Or should it be desire? This is Porsche country. This is what Cayman was born for, to hang it all out, to be on the edge and slightly over. A cardinally charged expletive rings around the tight tan leathered cabin. The S has negotiated the impossible with aplomb. In this S-like twist on an Arabian road, it has passed a supreme test.
True blue
The Cayman then, is a true blue Porsche.
Not that anybody ever doubted its credentials. From the moment Stuttgart announced an intention to fill the void between the Boxster roadster and 911 coupe, the fear was rather that Cayman could Packman the 911. Gobble it up, spit it out.
For imagine a Porsche engineered, mid-engined coupe, a torsionally and flexurally stiffer car than the already excellent Boxster it is based on, but also a smaller, lighter and more agile little rocket than 911, inherently better balanced with a lower polar moment of inertia and therefore a sharper turn-in.
Imagine no more. We put the Cayman S through its paces in the desert landscape fringing Muscat, and it is exactly what Porsche intended it to be: a perfect balance between Boxster and 911. Stuttgart has been very careful indeed, to engineer Cayman to fulfill this brief to the T.
And the simplest way of tackling such a project, would of course be to:
1. use the Boxster platform as a foundation, and
2. slot an engine into the capacity gap between Boxster S and 911.
Boxster S, for instance, turns out 206 kW from a 3.2-litre flat-6, compared to the 911 Carrera's 239 kW from a 3.6-litre flat-6.
That leaves a tidy little hole into which a 217 kW 3.4-litre watercooled VarioCam Plus flat-6 could nestle quite nicely, thank you. Which is exactly how it turned out to be. Even peak torque of 340 Nm/4400-6000 rpm slots straight into the gap between 320 Nm (for Boxster S) and 370 Nm (for 911 Carrera).
It is apparent then, that 911 is still a very different animal when it comes to performance and dynamics. With a flat-6 fastened to its tailbone, and churning out more power to equally fat and flat rubber (235/40-ZR18, 265/40-ZR18), the 911 Carrera delivers better traction and a livelier performance out of the blocks - 5.0 secs for 0-100 km/h, vs 5.4 secs.
The Carrera, after all, scales a power-to-weight ratio of 5.8 kg/kW, against Cayman's 6.2 and Boxster's 7.4.
Which is not to say that Big Brother's speed-to-sleep ratio is better. With similarly-sized discs all round, Cayman has a weight advantage (1340 vs 1395 kg) and actually stops a tad quicker. What with blind hills throwing up nasty denouements, it needed to, in Oman.
So, how is it done?
Super dynamics
Well, apart from 4-piston aluminium monobloc calipers clamping down on big, cross-drilled inner-vented discs, transferring a lot of weight from the rear's 265/40-ZR18s to the front's 235/40-ZR18s, Michelin's latest Pilot Sport2 rubber clings to tarmac as well, as Jacob Zuma does to controversy.
No good, though, if the helm fails to pick out a trajectory to balance speed, grip and centrifugal forces. Which is exactly what the new small coupe does. Lifted from the Boxster, which in turn borrowed it from 911, Cayman steering works off the same loads, weights and ratios, providing a sharp turn-in and true tracking with real feel and precision.
Likewise, the wheel then tends to lighten up at very high speeds, reflecting a tiny bit of nose float borne from minimal front axle lift, as heavy Porsche components are all stacked together at the back of the car.
Or in the Cayman's case, just behind the driver, guaranteeing mid-engined balance, of course, but also close-up aural enjoyment of the most wonderfully tuned musical scores. And plural it is; all Porsches peel off layer after layer of sound, from idle to full chat.
Thus, the new 3.4-litre flat-6 whines with a similarly smooth and solid turbine-like hum at low speeds as the 3.2- and especially 3.6-litre flat-6. And pedal-to-the-metal it livens up the cabin with an even better sounding wail than 911, a cracklingly wholesome scream rising from the nether-regions to punch from behind, straight through the cranium into the pleasure plug.
So, if the Cayman cabin indeed happens to be your time capsule on a desert road - or make that any deserted road - then the magnificence of the 3.4-litre score will be one of your mightiest reference points once the ride is over.
For in digesting the experience - the performance and dynamics, the structural solidity and build integrity, the depth of engineering and cutting-edge technology - in digesting all of this, the process is constantly accompanied by the aural magnificence and visceral penetration of that sound.
Unrelenting it is, so that it fills one's soul until the last brilliant moment behind the wheel has been re-lived.
Cayman then, is exactly what it was supposed to be. It slots in above Boxster - but under 911. Except on two counts: that sound; and the long sleek elongated tailgate between two of the most sensually rounded rear wheel arches ever. Merc's 300 SL of the mid-50's could barely whip up more lust.
Cayman therefore not only plays the part, but looks it as well. It is, in short, the complete package, with character, presence, performance, spirit and soul in abundance.
Or shorten it even further still: Cayman S is a phenomenon.
The Porsche Cayman S will be launched in South Africa shortly, on Saturday, 3 December 2005.
30/11/2005 09:09
Meet King Cay! Egmont Sippel takes you on an exhilarating drive of the all-new Porsche Cayman.
Imagine sitting in a capsule traveling at warp speed through a deserted desert landscape. Imagine also, a rise in the road, now shooting straight over a hill rimmed by the great blue yonder. In Oman, just a short drive from Dubai, it's going to carry on like this forever, not so?
Well, imagine then a ribbon of black tarmac veering off into a whole new direction - like an elbow bending back onto itself - just as you crest that hill.
Okay, it's not quite a hairpin. And you're not quite doing 300 km/h. Porsche's new Cayman S, to tell the truth, is only powered and geared for a top speed of 275 km/h.
But you're nevertheless barreling into the danger zone at a surplus that should impart the shudders, even to a sports car.
What to do?
First you have to survive the massive cardiac shock. To die prematurely now would not reflect well on your nerves. Then you should pray. But mostly you should just stay calm, hit the brakes and turn in.
Easy. At least in a Cayman S. The car doesn't even shudder, neither from a metaphorical fright or fear, nor from a vicious middle pedal assault.
Anchors on the S are outstandingly good, see - and we would have said phenomenal, if it wasn't prudent to save such-like praise for Porsche's optional PCCB ceramic composite brakes.
Our test car, riding on 18"-alloys instead of the 19"-option, nevertheless slaughters speed like a wild dog feasting on a duck.
Which is almost the word that flashes through your mind as the Cayman crests that hill. Duck! Here comes the horizon. Except that you are almost on opposite lock now, the Cayman just hinting at oversteer as you plant the throttle again, blazing out of harm's way through the negatively cambered downward-sloping exit of a corner called surprise.
Or should it be desire? This is Porsche country. This is what Cayman was born for, to hang it all out, to be on the edge and slightly over. A cardinally charged expletive rings around the tight tan leathered cabin. The S has negotiated the impossible with aplomb. In this S-like twist on an Arabian road, it has passed a supreme test.
True blue
The Cayman then, is a true blue Porsche.
Not that anybody ever doubted its credentials. From the moment Stuttgart announced an intention to fill the void between the Boxster roadster and 911 coupe, the fear was rather that Cayman could Packman the 911. Gobble it up, spit it out.
For imagine a Porsche engineered, mid-engined coupe, a torsionally and flexurally stiffer car than the already excellent Boxster it is based on, but also a smaller, lighter and more agile little rocket than 911, inherently better balanced with a lower polar moment of inertia and therefore a sharper turn-in.
Imagine no more. We put the Cayman S through its paces in the desert landscape fringing Muscat, and it is exactly what Porsche intended it to be: a perfect balance between Boxster and 911. Stuttgart has been very careful indeed, to engineer Cayman to fulfill this brief to the T.
And the simplest way of tackling such a project, would of course be to:
1. use the Boxster platform as a foundation, and
2. slot an engine into the capacity gap between Boxster S and 911.
Boxster S, for instance, turns out 206 kW from a 3.2-litre flat-6, compared to the 911 Carrera's 239 kW from a 3.6-litre flat-6.
That leaves a tidy little hole into which a 217 kW 3.4-litre watercooled VarioCam Plus flat-6 could nestle quite nicely, thank you. Which is exactly how it turned out to be. Even peak torque of 340 Nm/4400-6000 rpm slots straight into the gap between 320 Nm (for Boxster S) and 370 Nm (for 911 Carrera).
It is apparent then, that 911 is still a very different animal when it comes to performance and dynamics. With a flat-6 fastened to its tailbone, and churning out more power to equally fat and flat rubber (235/40-ZR18, 265/40-ZR18), the 911 Carrera delivers better traction and a livelier performance out of the blocks - 5.0 secs for 0-100 km/h, vs 5.4 secs.
The Carrera, after all, scales a power-to-weight ratio of 5.8 kg/kW, against Cayman's 6.2 and Boxster's 7.4.
Which is not to say that Big Brother's speed-to-sleep ratio is better. With similarly-sized discs all round, Cayman has a weight advantage (1340 vs 1395 kg) and actually stops a tad quicker. What with blind hills throwing up nasty denouements, it needed to, in Oman.
So, how is it done?
Super dynamics
Well, apart from 4-piston aluminium monobloc calipers clamping down on big, cross-drilled inner-vented discs, transferring a lot of weight from the rear's 265/40-ZR18s to the front's 235/40-ZR18s, Michelin's latest Pilot Sport2 rubber clings to tarmac as well, as Jacob Zuma does to controversy.
No good, though, if the helm fails to pick out a trajectory to balance speed, grip and centrifugal forces. Which is exactly what the new small coupe does. Lifted from the Boxster, which in turn borrowed it from 911, Cayman steering works off the same loads, weights and ratios, providing a sharp turn-in and true tracking with real feel and precision.
Likewise, the wheel then tends to lighten up at very high speeds, reflecting a tiny bit of nose float borne from minimal front axle lift, as heavy Porsche components are all stacked together at the back of the car.
Or in the Cayman's case, just behind the driver, guaranteeing mid-engined balance, of course, but also close-up aural enjoyment of the most wonderfully tuned musical scores. And plural it is; all Porsches peel off layer after layer of sound, from idle to full chat.
Thus, the new 3.4-litre flat-6 whines with a similarly smooth and solid turbine-like hum at low speeds as the 3.2- and especially 3.6-litre flat-6. And pedal-to-the-metal it livens up the cabin with an even better sounding wail than 911, a cracklingly wholesome scream rising from the nether-regions to punch from behind, straight through the cranium into the pleasure plug.
So, if the Cayman cabin indeed happens to be your time capsule on a desert road - or make that any deserted road - then the magnificence of the 3.4-litre score will be one of your mightiest reference points once the ride is over.
For in digesting the experience - the performance and dynamics, the structural solidity and build integrity, the depth of engineering and cutting-edge technology - in digesting all of this, the process is constantly accompanied by the aural magnificence and visceral penetration of that sound.
Unrelenting it is, so that it fills one's soul until the last brilliant moment behind the wheel has been re-lived.
Cayman then, is exactly what it was supposed to be. It slots in above Boxster - but under 911. Except on two counts: that sound; and the long sleek elongated tailgate between two of the most sensually rounded rear wheel arches ever. Merc's 300 SL of the mid-50's could barely whip up more lust.
Cayman therefore not only plays the part, but looks it as well. It is, in short, the complete package, with character, presence, performance, spirit and soul in abundance.
Or shorten it even further still: Cayman S is a phenomenon.
The Porsche Cayman S will be launched in South Africa shortly, on Saturday, 3 December 2005.
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FINN
