Porsche Cayman

Where can you buy a mid-engined sportscar this sublime for under $100k? Nowhere, because the Porsche Cayman the only game in town. It doesn't matter though, because there is no way anybody else could make a car this good. The Cayman is unchanged for the 2022 model year with the exception of a few new colors to choose from and some addition customization features. As always, our pick is the 4.0 flat 6 engined GTS model, probably the most perfect sportscar on the planet. That is not to poo-poo the four-cylinder versions because they are great cars too. The latest addition to the lineup is the GT4 RS track-oriented variant. It gets the 4.0-liter flat-six from the GT3 so you know it is going to be a cracking car. The RS also spawns a full-race version named the GT4 RS Clubsport.

The Cayman S was the first production Cayman model to be released to the public as a 2006 model year offering. It got a 3.4 liter flat six with the heads from the Carrera and the camshafts from the Carrera S. It was good for 295 horsepower and 251 ft-lb's. of torque. The 2007 Cayman delivered most of the Cayman S experience at a substantially lower cost. The chassis and body are nearly identical, with the primary differences being in the power train, brakes, wheels and some minor cosmetic elements. The engine was a mini version of the one in the Cayman S, but with a 2.7 liter displacement and 245 horsepower. Porsche was delivering a facelift and introduced a number of new technologies in 2009, as well as some cosmetic changes too. The body shell and shape remained the same, but the front and rear bumper covers were updated. The engines in the 2009 cars were all new and more advanced. The Cayman engine got a 200 cc boost in displacement bringing total displacement to 2.9 liters producing 265 bhp. The new Cayman S engine doesn't gain any displacement, but thanks to the fewer moving parts and the introduction of Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), this engine produces a hefty 25 more horsepower than the M97.21.

In the middle of 2008, Porsche introduced its first 987 Cayman limited edition car, the Design Edition 1. It was a Cayman S packaged with many exclusive cosmetic options intended to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Porsche Design. In late 2008, Porsche introduced the limited edition Cayman S Sport, a Cayman S packaged with many sport options and a new DME software map to work with the Porsche Sport Exhaust, boosting the car to 303 horsepower. The Cayman R was the highlight of the special edition 987 Cayman models and is arguably one of the best driving Porsche cars ever made. It was all about reducing weight while adding performance where possible. In all, Porsche cut 121 lbs. (55 kg) in weight and was also given more performance by adding power, suspension tuning and other performance upgrades that do not require weight be added back to the vehicle. With 330 brake horsepower and some tuned suspension and stiffer springs and dampers and the R was an absolute revelation to drive. The final special edition of the 987 Cayman era was the Limited Edition Cayman S Black which was combined many of the high performance benefits found only in the 2012 Cayman R with many other desirable options off the list.

The Cayman S benefitted from the same engine and running gear as Porsche's latest 3.4-litre version of the 911 while the base Cayman a 2.7-litre engine. The Cayman GTS was introduced in 2014 and it got a slightly more powerful engine, a new body kit, new 20-inch Carrera S wheels, new Bi-Xenon headlights, and a new sports exhaust system. In 2015, the ultimate track oriented version of the Cayman was launched and it was an instant hit. The Cayman GT4 had a revised and a slightly de-tuned version of the 3.8-litre flat-six engine from the 911 (991) Carrera S. The GT4 was available only with a 6 speed manual transmission and weighed 1,340 kg, and had a number of track-focused options and hardware changes.

On 6 October 2015, Porsche announced a racing version of the Cayman GT4 called the Cayman GT4 Clubsport. As opposed to the road going Cayman GT4, the Clubsport version is fitted with Porsche's PDK double clutch transmission. For testing purposes Porsche Motorsport built a few tarmac rally cars based on the Cayman 981 GT4 racing version. The Cayman rally car was the course car for the WRC (World Rally Championship) 2018 ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The FIA R-GT Cup was contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC, like the German WRC event.

The 718 Cayman was introduced in April 2016, and premiered at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The 718 featured two new horizontally-opposed flat-4 turbocharged engines at 2.0-litre (Boxster/Cayman) and 2.5-litre (Boxster S/Cayman S) displacement with increased torque and horsepower with lower fuel consumption. The S model turbocharger utilizes Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) technology. The 718 T models were released for the 2020 model year as more sport-oriented versions of the base 718 models. Later in October 2017, the GTS models were announced with their 2.5-litre engines rated at 360 hp. Since 2020, the GTS 4.0 model has been offered for both 718 models. The new model features the 4.0-litre flat-6 from the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder, however de-tuned to 394 hp.

Like with its predecessor, the Cayman gets a motorsport version. The car's name is again very long and rather confusing. The official marketing names are "718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport Trackday version" and "718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport Competition version". Neither of them is street legal, something a "Clubsport" used to stand for in the past. The base version is called "Trackday" which used to be the synonym for club sport anyway. The 17% more expensive Competition variant is a real racer made for national and international racing events. Most of the cars will naturally be sold in the Competition trim as for a track day you typically want a street legal car. Many track day organizers demand a street legal car.

There is a lot more Porsche data, details and obsession to explore.