harris

i saw somewere that cayman is faster on the ring than a 997!!!!
but priced between 997 and boxster

do you find this normal?


years ago there were some ideas from porsche for a twin-turbo boxster S...but i heard that it wasn never competed due to marketing purposes, such as a boxster which was significantly cheaper than a 911 shouldn't be faster (which in fact seems correct to me)


any thoughts?

1AS

The 911 is an entirely compromised design with the engine hung off way in the back. Only 40plus years of engineering have made it controllable, and a large part of that was to tune in understeer.
Since Cayman horsepower will be very close to the 911 realm, the more neutral car will be quicker on a track, given similar tire footprint and composition. So that part is "normal"
My bet is that pricing will be substantially higher than a Boxster, but only slightly lower than a 997. As more 911 models become daily cruisers, the Cayman will be the "affordable" performance car. I'm also guessing Porsche wants a large profit margin to offset decreased sales numbers soon to be caused by the very strong Euro. Based on content, the Cayman should have cost less than a Boxster. Like my beloved X50 package, Porsche charges a lot for each extra horsepower. We have accepted the 20K cost of the X50 as normal. So too is an expensive, higher-horsepower Boxster (Cayman)

Right now, a novice is probably going to be faster around the track in a Boxster tip than a 6speed Carrera. That is normal. Porsche will preserve the 0-60 advantage of the 997 seemingly to justify it's higher retail cost, though I doubt the 997 is any more costly to build than a Cayman or Boxster. That we accept this pricing is abnormal. AS

fast1

<B>Right now, a novice is probably going to be faster around the track in a Boxster tip than a 6speed Carrera. That is normal. Porsche will preserve the 0-60 advantage of the 997 seemingly to justify it's higher retail cost, though I doubt the 997 is any more costly to build than a Cayman or Boxster. That we accept this pricing is abnormal. AS</B>

Porsche listens to its consumers and there's no doubt that there's a need for a somewhat unrefined performance car priced below the 997. Also, Porsche does value and not cost plus pricing. So it's not unusual for Porsche to charge far more for a new offering than the small incremental cost increase would suggest. Ultimately however it's the market place and not the manufacturer that determines price.

Mike in Chi

Normal and expected.

In '87, the 951 was as fast to 60 as the Carrera.

There was a lot left in the engine to develop (as a trip to the 944/951/968 board will tell you) Some magazines picked the 951 as the best all around Porsche.

But it was the top of the cheap line and couldn't threaten the 911.

For years Rennlisters have dreamed of an inexpensive pure-performance Porsche.

The rumored Cayman CS should be awesome. It will be interesting to see if it actually happens.

Palting

LOL!!!!! That's the internet for you. There have been no official times for the Cayman at the 'ring. There was one article in a European mag that said the Cayman was rumored to be faster than a 911. Which 911? 997? 996? 993? 964? 911 circa 1980's? Rumored? Is that the same as "generate enough gossip so people will talk about it" marketing?

As a platform the 987/Cayman has the potential for beating the 997 in performance. In reality, there will never be a factory stock Cayman that can beat a factory stock 911 of the same generation. That's the way Porsche plans to manufacture them.

LVDell

Well put Palting. I don't think PAG will release track times before they even let us see what they are talking about. Gotta love the internet and the speculation is causes.

bet

The speculation of the Cayman running the "ring" faster comes from this article in Autoweek where: "Porsche insiders say the Cayman has already lapped the legendary 14-mile German race circuit faster than the latest 911."

AUTOWEEK ARTICLE

That said the article has some unique thoughts on the model designations and HP figures that no other publication seems to agree with (i.e. the base Cayman will have 295hp and an S will follow later). Of course then there is C&D that says the Cayman S will be priced above the base Carrera.

P-Car fanatic

yes, we need to make a 'crack smoking' adjustment for car and driver

the same mag which rated the new a6, 530 and e class lower than the respective honda/nissan/toyota counterparts in a sports sedan shoot out

perfectlap

given equal engines I don't think it would be surprising at all if the MR configuration turned out to quicker than a rear engine 997 around the Ring. Especially a smaller lighter MR.

And there is nothing "inexpensive" about any P-car. Some are just more overpriced than others but they are all far from being the best value available to a sportscar driver.
Porsche hasn't become the most profitable car company in the world because its consumers demmand as much bang for the buck as possible. $50K Boxster 987 entry level?

I'm getting the impression that the Cayman will be more sportscar and less 'Cayene plush' than the ever increasingly driver input diminished 997.
And those headlights on the 997/987?

P-Car fanatic

I hope so

snaproll

April Panorama, page 94: "Reportedly the new Cayman S can lap Nurburgring faster than the Carrera."

The same article says the Cayman S will have a 305 hp 3.4, there will be a mid-level 295 hp version and an entry level model with the Boster's 3.2 engine.

With 305 hp in a lighter car, the Cayman S might be close to or beat the base 997.

Res Ips

[QUOTE=Palting]LOL!!!!! That's the internet for you. There have been no official times for the Cayman at the 'ring. There was one article in a European mag that said the Cayman was rumored to be faster than a 911. Which 911? 997? 996? 993? 964? 911 circa 1980's? Rumored? Is that the same as "generate enough gossip so people will talk about it" marketing?

I totally agree. People need to pay more attention to how they read the words. All I am seeing right now are some general comments about the car and a few pics butn no significant performance numbers to speak of.

Jim

perfectlap

P-Car fanatic, are ther allot of Porsches rolling around Nashville?

harris

3.4L and 305 ps reminds me 996 01 3.4L and 300ps....

any connection between the two?

1AS

I still wouldn't be surprised if a base Cayman is faster than a 997 around a road course. A lot of the rear engined car's grip comes from very soft tires- that's why they wear out so fast. With equal rubber, the lighter, better-balanced car will be quicker at the track since the lower weight offsets the hp differential on accleration, but nothing offsets the higher weight of the rear-engined car on braking and cornering. While Porsche tunes understeer into the Boxster, my opinion is that they have done that even more in the rear-engined car. Perhaps I should admit to not having driven a 997, but do have significant track time in various rear engined Porsches and the Boxster. AS