blake

I'm a 911 nut, and I recently drove a 991S and 987S back to back... Hands down, the Boxster was a lot more fun to drive, and felt closer to the older 911s than the new 911.

The writing was on the wall for the 911 with the advent of the 996 - namely that the 911 was going to become a more refined "GT" car... It has continued down that line, and the 991 is no exception. But for "old school" 911 enthusiasts, the GT3 line was introduced with the 996 to provide a *****-to-the-wall outlet for the visceral, thrill-seeking Porsche nut.... (thank god for the GT3).

And this is why the 991 GT3 board is abuzz with so much talk that Porsche sold out... The new GT3 ONLY comes with PDK and the specially-designed track seats are not available for sale through Porsche in the US. Granted, no one has DRIVEN the car yet - but those decisions alone set a bad tone... No manual???? Really???

I can't wait to drive a Cayman R. I really enjoyed the Boxster Spyder, so can only imagine how great an R would be... Sure, the 911 makes a great, sporty DD - but for Friday night fun-runs, a Boxster or Cayman would be perfect!

My $0.02,
-B

perfectlap

I have to take issue with that selling out claim. Most GT3 sold are sold to people who will never go near a track or autocross, put little if any street mileage on their cars. They are re-sold nearly pristine. Think about it, its supposed to be a car you hammer...
At the end of the day the GT3 is a mass produced car that has sold more units as its become less driver oriented (more aids, sunroof, etc.) and not the other way around -- sales being hurt by nannies and plush options. Porsche in introducing an automatic GT3 are only screwing over a small segment of the GT3 customer base who are actual track junkies. They sold out a long long time ago if getting away from the basic track tool was the sin.

Also, I think the 991 GT3 is going to be very well received by the usual GT3 type buyer and those who cross shop Ferrari and McLarens with paddles.
It's going to be like modern day Ferrari that doesn't break down leaving the owner with $30K repair bills. And the all new engine with a 9K RPM...forget about it.

Mike in CA

Great point. Being tall, I had that issue in my Boxster but hesitated to mention it as an issue in the Cayman because I wan't sure if the seat arrangement was the same.

skl2

You guys must be tall! I have height issues in my 993, but fit perfectly in my cayman. I'm 6'4", 190. Any taller and i think I'd run into not being able to put the seat back as far as I like.

iammulva

What is your inseam? I'm 6'2" with about 34" inseam. I can fit in a Cayman and get a comfortable driving position, but it is more cramped feeling than my 997 and entry/exit is slower. Cramped feeling is likely due to my personal preference (having come from a 5 series which had all the room I needed/wanted) and I weigh 230 so my proportions are likely different from yours.

stumil

Spent last Wednesday & Thursday at Lime Rock with my local P-club. Serious fun as always! I'm in the Green run group. A very nice first time ever on a track guy shows up with a brand new Boxster S with PDK. A least once every run (yes, one run even twice), I'd see him in my rearview mirrors (usually in the turns), and would wave him through at the next passing zone. On his 2nd day he moved from the Green to the Yellow run group, and did more than hold his own. I'm not taking anything away from his driving ability, but that car was incredibly fast, nimble, and sure-footed.
Also worth noting is how many of the Black and Red run group guys have switched to the Cayman S. I heard this said a lot during the two days, "The Cayman is the new GT3". Now I love my 6 speed 997.2 C2S, and have no intention of trading it for a Porsche mid-engine car, but if I was buying a dedicated track car, it would be a Cayman S with PDK.

cds4402

This is interesting!

char6656

Put another 100 horsepower in the Cayman and I would be a buyer. By the time a person pays for a fully loaded Cayman 75K ++++ It should have more power and better performance in my opinion. It seems that Porsche from a marketing standpoint is really protecting the 911 series vehicles. That also has been my major complaint with the Boxster as well................

Mike in CA

I'm 6'2" 195 with a 36" inseam so I'm pretty long legged. I always felt like I needed either an extra inch of seat travel or a bit more rake to get to get truly comfortable in the Boxster. As was mentioned above, with the bulkhead behind the seat, that was impossible.

deverest

I drove both the Cayman and the 911, I bought the 911 for the looks, and the back seat, I have 2 small kids who love to be driven to school by dad.

pissedpuppy

here's to hoping they do a GT version Cayman

boulderbobo

I think it looks like a Mazda.

hot nikon

Had 2 Caymans, ALWAYS waiting for the car to catch up to me. No real bad manners, just underpowered for me.

Was very glad to get back into a 997/2 C2S.

Never wanted either of my Caymans back (S's).

I'd love to get one for my wife, perfect chick car.

With regards to mods, few cars have as many aftermarket products as the 911. Period.

I paid $85k for my current C2S new, that's about the price for a loaded Cayman S.

Oh, I also like the 997's azz better than the Cayman's. Not even close. I know this is the last model Cayman.

PCC

They did the same thing with the 944 Turbo in the late 1980s

perfectlap

Asking Porsche to put more power in Boxster/Cayman is and has alwasy been essentially asking them to put the Carrera's marketing in a fix.
The 981 Boxster S is already faster than the 997, and nearly identical on the time sheets to the standard 991 (I guess no more inexplicably tall 1st).
100 more HP in the Cayman/Boxster and Porsche won't know what to do with themsleves.