Porsche have finally given the beautifully capable Porsche Cayman the legs it has so longingly been craving for. May we excitedly introduce the stunning Porsche Cayman R.
As you will more than likely be aware, Porsche reserves the letter “R” only for very special sports cars: R stands for raw and responsive – but most especially for racy. Unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Cayman R delivers all of these characteristics in spades.
The combination of a 55-kg weight reduction and a 10-hp power increase over the Cayman S – as well as a specially-adapted sports chassis – ensure the new mid-engined sports car delivers a spectacularly precise, involving driving experience. Staying true to the Porsche Intelligent Performance development philosophy, it improves performance not just with more power, but through lower weight, as well.
Porsche’s new hardcore two-seater is powered by a specially-tuned 3.4-litre flat-six engine developing 330 hp. It transmits its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, propelling the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.0 seconds. With the addition of an optional seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) gearbox in combination with the optional Sport Chrono package, the same sprint takes just 4.7 seconds.
More importantly, Porsche engineers aimed to improve the Cayman’s performance and dynamics even further through a strict weight reduction regime. Weighing just 1,295 kg, the power-to-weight ratio of the Cayman R is just 3.9 kg/hp.
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Paul
What a shame!
When I read the title i thought Porsche had finally gotten over their “911 must remain the fastest Porsche” mentality and really built a great car, alas not.
The interior of this car is lovely, GT2 Club Sport derived seats, RS style door pulls all give the right impression, I would have liked to have seen an GT3 RS style roll cage on the list, but could live without it, weight reduction of 55KG is nice (155KG would have been nicer, & possible, but OK), then we get to the engine, same old asthmatic 3.4 with a slight ECU tweak to get 10 Bhp…..Come on Porsche!
If Porsche were making a sincere effort to make a “Cayman R” that was worthy of the title, it would be a limited release track focused car and would have had the GT3 derived motor, pushing 400+Bhp, mated to a close ratio transmission with LSD and use the GT3 centre lock wheels; such a car would be the track day weapon of choice for every enthusiast and would be a sought after, future classic in the way of previous 911 RS models; this “Cayman R” is nothing more than a marketing effort to generate a few more sales before the new shape comes out. How Disappointing.