Cool Video, New Cayman 2009 - same time as base 911

Autocar Videos - This guy really liked the car http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.aspx?AR=236404&CT=V

 

Here's the video with all the colors, and a lot BETTER SOUND! Test shoot for 2009 Cayman in France http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpoH3ayzW4
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Seems that there's a fight at Porsche about how far to take the Cayman

The November Panorama's "European Windows" article says-
"Porsche's future GT contender will not look much different from the current RSR, says Klauake, but I would love to a fly on the wall when the subject next appears on the agenda. There is still a very strong lobby in Weissach to develop the mid-engined Cayman, although Dr. Wiedeking remains strongly opposed to any diversion from the 911 base."

This article was about Porsche's future in sports car racing and it looks like there are those at Porsche who feel the Cayman is that future but the good Dr. doesn't want to jeopardize the 911 base.

 

A fun review of the new 09's



Porsche Cayman review
The Stuttgart sports car maker's revised, mid-engined coupe is an engineering tour de force, but where does it leave the 911?

By Andrew English
Last Updated: 10:57AM GMT 15 Dec 2008
Porsche Cayman Mk2: 2009 model year
Photo: Jeff Gilbert

Porsche was anxious to strut its mid-engined credentials at the launch of the newly revamped Cayman two-seat coupé. I kept thinking about the Kermit-green model outside

"Even the very first car to bear the name Porsche was a mid-engined sports car, the legendary 356 No1," droned the presenter.

Who on earth buys such a ghastly coloured car, I thought? Did I miss a Seventies revival?

"In the early 1930s Ferdinand Porsche created the [mid-engined] Auto Union Grand Prix racing car – the first 4.4-litre V16 developing the incredible output back then of 295bhp…"

I yawned and looked around for Noddy Holder and Huggy Bear in a pair of Deeley Boppers. Perhaps this green is for the few remaining bankers in Britain wanting to camouflage themselves against the vengeful unemployed.

Don't worry, you're not going to see many green Caymans anyway. Four years after its launch, this Boxster coupé has sold modestly in Britain, with annual sales of about 2,000. Not that Porsche UK will see those numbers again any time soon. British sales to November this year are 30 per cent down on the same period last year, while globally in the past four months Porsche revenue has fallen 15 per cent and sales 18 per cent.

Which is a shame, as in spite of Porsche's stuffy reputation, the Cayman has been a breath of fresh air for the marque. Some have suggested that it is the car a modern 911 should be. It's even gained something of a gay following in California; a sort of pink/green sports car, then.

You might expect heterosexual members of the public to have flocked to this fine-looking and (relatively) good-value Porsche, yet almost counter-intuitively they have not. Even in Britain, where such sporting coupés are usually well received, the Cayman takes just 22 per cent of annual sales against the Boxster's 23 per cent, the 911's 36 per cent and the horrible Cayenne SUV's 19 per cent.

It's actually called "signal green" and is a derivative of a shade that has been offered on Porsches in the past, most notably the Seventies. There is a story that the singer Petula Clark ordered a car in a unique shade of green and Porsche ordered far too much of the paint and has been using up the stock ever since. I asked whether this green was that colour; but no reply was the reply.

In fact, you'd be hard put to tell the difference between the old and new-model Caymans. On the outside there are some new air intakes and LED lamps, which are beginning to be the slice of lime in the lager bottle of automotive design. Under the skin, however, the new model gets new engines and, for the first time in a mid-engined car, the £1,920 option of a twin-clutch transmission – or Porsche-Doppelkupplungs-getriebe (PDK), as the company prefers to put it. Porsche didn't invent this transmission, but it did much to pioneer it on the 1982 956 Group C racer. It's in effect a hydraulically actuated pre-selector gearbox, which thanks to its twin clutches (they work on the odd and even gears respectively), has the next gear engaged before you've left the last one.

The flat six-cylinder engines are lighter than the previous units, with a simpler, two-piece crankcase, stronger closed-deck construction and new bearings, timing chains and an on-demand oil pump for reduced weight and friction. The standard Cayman's swept volume is increased from 2.7 to 2.9 litres and power is up 20bhp to 261bhp and torque up 20lb ft to 221. Changes to the Cayman S engine are more fundamental, with direct fuel injection into the combustion chambers at up to 1,740psi. Staying at 3.4 litres, the engine's output is increased by 25bhp to 315bhp and torque is up by 22lb ft to 273. So that means performance is up, but – because these are very clever German engineers we are talking about here – so is fuel economy; a sort of green/green car, then.

The manual Cayman will charge from 0 to 62mph in 5.8sec and on to a top speed of 165mph – the PDK 'box knocks a 10th off the acceleration and 2mph off the top speed. In the Combined mode that car achieves 30.1mpg (20.5mpg in the Urban cycle). The S model with a PDK is even more dramatic; top speed 171mph, 0 to 62mph in a howling 5.1sec and an EU Combined fuel consumption of 30.1mpg (the official EU Urban figure is 20mpg).

Porsche flew us to Jerez in Spain for the launch and we all thought, goody, we'll be tearing tyres off round the fabulous MotoGP circuit. Not exactly. Instead we went to a golf resort, where it poured so hard even the golfers stayed indoors. The bonus was it left golfer-free roads and lots of wet, slippery roundabouts to slide round.

It's a beautifully balanced car, which thrives on fast cornering and general hooliganary. The mid-mounted engine means the turn in to corners is faster than much of the competition, but the steering is so pin sharp that, even on slimy roads, it's easy to correct the line and never nerve-wrackingly twitchy. Porsche also provides for even deeper levels of tomfoolery with several degrees of electronic sportiness activated by sportiness buttons that lurk at the bottom of the facia. These progressively stiffen the suspension and rev up the gearchange until you find yourself inexplicably driving down the high street in second gear with 4,000rpm on the dial.

Where the old Cayman was safe and fast, the suspension changes on this new model make it safe, fast and fun. The brakes, too, are terrific, able to be worked within a gnat's sniff of lock-up, with supreme confidence. Spend yet more money on the options list and you can have an active damping, a limited-slip differential and even a sport chrono package that gives you a pointless stop-watch in the middle of the dashboard and a racing gearshift pattern with launch control that knocks a further two tenths off the 0-62mph time.

Since Porsche only supplied Cayman S PDK models to drive, we can only report on that top model, but what a model it is. Start her up and the flat-six makes a fair old racket of pumps, belts and whirring stuff, but once under way it settles to guttural rasp, occasionally gurgling when you lift off the throttle, or booming like the timpani section when you change down and stand on it. The PDK gearbox means you're never more than a steering wheel toggle away from the next ratio, although the toggles themselves are horribly counter-intuitive to use. There's also an abruptness in the take-up of the drive that makes the Cayman quite a handful to start on sand and snow, but Porsche assures us that the car has passed all its cold weather driving tests.

With PDK acting as an automatic, you don't get too much time to appreciate the improvements in torque, but the performance speaks for itself. Even hauling 2,977lb (1,350kg) up the road, the engine turns the Cayman into a classic tarmac ripper. One might be tempted to say this is the car that the Cayman should have been from the start.

Long journeys will be noisy, with plenty of wind racket from the roof and the engine never settling entirely to mile munching, but what a wheeze they'll be. And the Cayman is surprisingly practical, with enough room for suitcases under the bonnet and under the rear hatchback. There's not much room in the front, however, with tiny door pockets, a matchbox-sized glove box and enough room in the centre console for a mobile phone; just one. This makes the ornately mechanical cup holders even more of an absurdity as they unfurl from a thumbnail-wide strip of dashboard ready to accept your double skinny latte. With an adjustable steering wheel and seat height, the driving position is just about perfect for all heights and sizes, but while the racing-style seats are supportive, their scalloped shape pushes your shoulders uncomfortably forward. Needless to say the fit and finish, quality of the leather trim and lack of any squeaks and rattles puts rivals and even Audi's levels of obsessiveness to the sword. This car is built, and how.

Saving money by buying a Porsche seems something of an oxymoron, but if you're after a classic two-seat sports coupé, the Cayman is as good as it gets and it's difficult to see how Porsche can justify the 911's higher price.

Faster and more economical, than its predecessor, the new Cayman appears to have answered all the questions, except for that green coachwork. Apparently other colours are available, so that's just about perfect, then.

TECH SPEC

Price/availability: standard Cayman from £36,102, Cayman S from £44,108. On sale February 21.

Engines/transmissions: standard Cayman; 2,893cc flat-six cyl petrol with variable timing DOHC per bank and four valves per cylinder, 261bhp at 7,200rpm and 221lb ft of torque at 4,400rpm. Cayman S; 3,436cc, flat-six cyl petrol with variable timing DOHC per bank, four valves per cyl and direct fuel injection, 315bhp at 7,200rpm and 273lb ft at 4,750rpm. Six-speed manual or optional (£1,920) PDK seven-speed transmission. Rear-wheel drive.

Performance: (PDK transmission figures in brackets) Cayman; top speed 165mph (163mph), 0-62mph in 5.8sec (5.7sec), EU Urban fuel consumption 20.5mpg (20.8mpg), CO2 emissions 221g/km (214g/km). Cayman S; 172mph (171mph), 5.2sec (5.1sec), 20.8mpg (20mpg), 223g/km (221g/km). PDK with sport chrono pack option does 0-62mph in 5.5sec (Cayman) and 4.9sec (Cayman S). Six-speed manual or optional seven-speed PDK transmission with optional limited-slip differential.

We like: terrific improvement to Porsche's baby supercar. Great engine with more performance and economy, terrific twin-clutch transmission.

We don't like: Fiddly gear-change buttons on the steering wheel, uncomfortable race-style seats.

Alternatives: Aston Martin Vantage, from £85,000. Audi TT 3.2 V6 quattro, from £30,040. BMW Z4 3.2 M, from £42,350. Chevrolet Corvette C6, from £39,999. Lotus Europa 225 SE, from £32,995. Nissan 370 Z, from £28,000. Porsche 911 3.6 Carrera, from £63,070.