Michael Cain

Well according to EVO the Boxster (987S) is faster than the 997 on the track.

*I will try and scan in that article for you to read. I am sure you will find it interesting reading, It really surprised me. I was expecting the 997 to be a little faster than 987S on the track and not slower. Again it just shows how blinkered some of us are by the whole Porsche marketing machine.

I have driven my friend Georges black 997, what impressed me most from the car was the sound the engine makes over 5K, it is a pure 911 and sounds fantastic. The Boxster does sound good too, but to me the 911 engine is the one to have, i wish Porsche fitted it to the Boxster. But as a track handling car it does not suit my style of driving, lots of weight at the back that equate to laws of physics dictating the style of driving i.e. slow in and fast out.

A lot of people go on and on about how you have to spend time to master the 911, in the end it just means it takes them a while to realise that there is a lot of weight at the back and you need to brake harder into corners.

I prefer to use the balance of the car to carry speed into and out of the corner, and use the throttle of the car to balance and control it mid turn. The mid-engined layout of the boxster is the right one. Of course in F1 the engine is located in the middle of the car and not at the back.

I also noted That 997 was also fitted with powerful and expensive PCCB brakes. Does this mean that a standard 997 with out the PCCB will struggle further? The EVO track results showed that 997 was faster by 5 mph at the end of the straights than the 987S but was 5 mph slower into the corners than the 987S. You had to break harder and bring the weight down therefore stopping the pendulum effect of the 997 rear engine weight swing out when going round mid corner. Again laws of physics dictating driving style. Personally paying the extra 20K cash for the 997 over the 987S does not really add up to me. Again its just Porsche wanting you to believe that the 997 is so faster/better and then charge you extra for the privilege. ... blah blah blah blah and a bit more blah....

Mind you having said all that I would sell my grandmother for a 997 GT3.

god I'm bored at work today..

AudiologisTT

lol... i don't know how much $$$ you'd get for her though

I agree.. the 987/997 dynamics are completely different.. different animals... interesting to see the evolution and how today's 987 is so much faster (and more comfortable) than many older gen 911s especially

no matter how you look at it, the 987 mid-engined design is superior
on the other hand, the legacy of the 911 (and corresponding profit margins) means that the box (and Cayman) will not be 'allowed' to topple the 911

frankly, the 997s (S, Turbo, GT3, etc) all have great power which can be addictive but the balance of the 987 can never be attained with a rear-engined design.. still each car has it's own personality which is what it's all about, imo

unless you track the cars and compete, the better car on the road is the one you have more fun with.. not the one with the highest hp/0-60/etc.. and not necessarily the more expensive one

ELUSIVE

I just traded in my 987S for a 997S.
The 987S definitely handles better around smaller radius corners, but the 997S has a lot more power and seems more stable at higher speeds even on larger radius turns.
The 997S is also far more comfortable for me.

I prefer the front end of the 987S, but I like the back end and the hips on the 997S better.

Definitely both are very nice cars...but for me it came down to comfort. If the 987S had a few more inches of room then I think i might prefer the 987S. Until that happens it's 997S for me!

Ray S

The results will vary tremendously by track. In other words, there are tracks out there that will favor the 987S and others that will favor the 997. Given equal engines (same horsepower), I'd bet a 987 would beat a 997 in most situations. However, given the reality that Porsche has created (the 911 with a 30hp advantage), I'd bet the 997 would be a little faster on most tracks.

Chris C.

It is indeed dependent on tracks - shorter more technical tracks will surely favor the Boxster's agility.

It is great marketing when people pay more for a car that's more difficult to drive fast (all things equal) and chalk it up to "makes you a better driver" or "girlie cars are easy to drive"

I have driven the 997s and the 987 on tracks, and the 987 is inherently more stable in low and high speed corners. The 997s still pitch weight diagonally in steady state corners, and still pogo stick a lot for my taste...but I am enamored of their higher overall limits and speed. It feels so great when you finally execute a great corner in the 997 as it is hard to do and so easy to feel the weight working for you vs. against you.

I love my 987s, and sorely wish Porsche would put a 3.6 in it and let the market choose their body style. I think the Boxster wins hands-down over 997 cabs in the looks dept, but the 997 coupe is far better looking than a Cayman.

I chose my 987 over a base 997 for street duty and all around fun factor, but have to admit that for comfort reasons I am starting to look at 997S's (even cabs).

Great to have choices!

Michael Cain

I just want to point out that the 997 in the test had 325 bhp and the 987S was the 3.2L with 280BHP. The advantage was 45BHP!

yeehaw

Awesome! If Porsche would only make a larger cayman or a Mid eng/RWD 911, they'd be all set! Doubt that will happen, having only driven a 987 its good to know, but I do agree the degree of turns and technicality of the tracks would be the overlaying factor. Regardless top end speed is great, however how you get to the straights also matters.

10 GT3

You should see the Best Motoring episodes with the 997 (no PCCBs) versus the Cayman S and the Boxster S(3.2l) versus the Cayman S. The 997 killed the Cayman on the track by over a second a lap. In fact, it was noticeably faster exiting the corners. In the other test, surprising the Boxster was able to keep the Cayman behind it, but only barely. The Boxster S did run a best lap slightly faster than the Cayman's best lap. In the video, the Boxster looked a little more stable at the limit stepping out smoother than the Cayman.

Michael Cain

Where can i find info on "Best Motoring episodes" which you are talking about? Can you please send me the link to this article?

Chris C.

It would be interesting to see the videos.

Again, depends on the track, but a second a lap is not really being "killed"

With the right driver the base 997 should be sligtly slower in and faster coming out of the corners, as there's more power and torque to put down from apex onward. 987s are 150 lbs or so lighter, and arguably better balanced.

I still think the Road and Track "worlds best sports car" issue is the most objective test I've seen to date. 997S was of course faster around the track, but only marginally so in certain parts of the circuit. Subjectively most of the R&T crew loved the balance and nimble feel of the 987.

In the hands of a Porsche factory tester, you'd expect the 997 to best the 987s almost all of the time (Porsche engineered em that way!). It's in the hands of less than expert 911 drivers that it gets interesting...

10 GT3

Racingflix has both videos:

Cayman S vs. 997
http://racingflix.com/getvideo.asp?v=1526

With both cars running on stock 18"s, the 997 was 1.52 secs faster on a 1 min road course. They do a 400m drag race at the end which is also pretty interesting.

Cayman Battle (Cayman S vs Boxster S vs S2000 vs 350Z vs NSX Type-S)
http://racingflix.com/getvideo.asp?v=1682

Yes, a Best Motoring video where the NSX didn't win (it did have the best single lap time).



You are quite correct in this statement. A lot of people make comments about the Cayman S being faster than the Carrera around the Nurburgring, but Porsche Test driver Walter Rohrl actually drove the Carrera 5 seconds (8:06) faster than the Cayman S (8:11). The Carrera S was 7 seconds faster then the regular Carrera (7:59) when driven with his hands.

JENGLAND

At our tight 3.2 mile course here in Dallas, i am often waiting on the passing signal from those darn 997, 997s owners not wanting to let a Boxster around them even though it is just a DE and it is not about who is in front. It has a lot to do with the driver. Being the Boxster is more forgiving at the limit, if you have the ***** to push the hell out of it than you can wip up on those 997/s guys pretty easy, especialy if you have done some modes to level the playing field.

SD987S

I don't understand why automotive pundits compare convertible performance cars to hardtops when it's largely the convertible top, and the engineering complications that entails, that makes a car like the Boxster the marvel that is. It's not terribly challenging, anymore, to make a fast car that handles well but to keep those performance levels with the roof sawed off and the added weight of top mechanisms and chassis reinforcement is the catch.

If people want to compare the 987 to the 997 bases, corvettes, M3s and S4s of the world, at least have the decency to compare it to the cabriolet versions against which the 987S holds its own and more.

jrok

it's like deja vu from the cayman board... I got knocked around a bit when I made the reference that there's not much between the two depending on the track conditions -- but it's all in good fun, and nobody pulled a knife or anything.
It seems like only yesterday...

webnuts4u2

I'm doing the Cresson track this Feb. Hopefully the 997 drivers will let me by... I've done quite a few tours and have found that most people are hesitant about pushing their 911 through corners that my 987 does with ease. If my investments do a little better, maybe that RUF conversion is in my future. My car is fast, but it's just not fast fast enough.