FTS

I was thinking the same as you, but it was on the scales, and I did not even believe it had full tank, I found the key and personally checked, I was really impressed.

My '06 Cayman S was about 125 lbs lighter than my current GT3, but the cornering speeds and lateral Gs are significantly higher on the GT3 on same tires. Actually I started looking at the data and analyzing the differences here: http://www.gt2gt3cup.org/showthread.php?t=96

aussie jimmy

of course! (i'm comparing to boxter spyder here, if you are talking gt3, then there is definitely no comparison)
it's the roof bit that they don't share. and that's what delegates the spyder to a weekend car. you can't park that anywhere in sydney - the roof will get knifed. also, not the best decision to track in a cabrio. the cayman r has none of these issues. like somebody said, it would make a great entry-level for somebody's first porsche, that will encompass mostly dd + local test loops + mid-range tracking.
an all-purpose car without hurling yourself over the slope.....till later.

cbzzoom

Nice data, but it looks like you had the stock PASM suspension ? The Spyder/R suspension is much better for the track, a bit closer to a GT3. Also the new DFI engine is a lot better than the last one.

IMO the weight savings on the R is not impressive; most of it is just from the AC delete and stereo delete and smaller gas tank, they really didn't do much. The good thing about the R is that they have actually delivered a properly set up Cayman from the factory for the first time without horrible understeer dialed in.

TPC Racing

I sold the aqua blue one... Order to spec for a client of mine. picked it up last thursday and it already has 900 miles!

aussie jimmy

let's not be mistaken here. the cayman r will be MURDERED by the gt3 on the track. it would be very close on a test loop on public roads, but on track, it's a whole different ballgame.

FTS

I certainly do agree on all points. Yes, I had PASM. The new suspension should be better, do not know first-hand, but I would doubt the "much better" part, and "closer to GT3" part, but only because I am biased

got2go

Just spent two days at the Chin Road Atlanta DE. On the track was a brand spanking new white Caymen R with sport buckets, PDK and ceramics. Looks better in person than I anticipated. It was flat out fast, not just quick or able to hold more speed in the corners. On the long back straight between turn 7 and turn 10A the Caymen was a handfull. I ulimately had more top end speed, but it was remarkably fast compared to my 997.2 GT3 and always held its own through at least third gear. In a capable drivers hands, it won't get murdered by anything.

LastMezger

It was actually the GT3 I was thinking about.

MM3.9GT3

Car and Driver Lightning Lap Times:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...to_2011_page_8

997.2 GT3 RS: 2:55.9
997.1 GT3: 3:01.8
Boxster Spyder: 3:03.8 (the Cayman R should be about the same)

Alan Smithee

When comparing lap times, keep in mind the very significant difference in OEM tires between the GT3/GT3RS and the Spyder/R.

GrantG

Check out this laptime at Hockenheim for the Cayman R (only 2.0 sec slower with Street tires compared to 997.2 GT3's time with DOT track tires) and it's faster than the 460hp 996 GT2:

http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/hockenheim_short.html

LastMezger

That's what I'm talkin' about! ;-)

Polarporsche

No contest in my humble option, the GT3 is a track car and the Spyder is among the best sports cars on the road today. The GT3 is blast to drive at speed, it does most things well, makes the average driver(me) look good on the track and in the hands of a good driver it fly's around most tracks, hard to beat compared to most other cars. (there are some very fast 911 non-GT3's out there but most of the credit goes to the drivers)
The Spyder on the other hand is down right sexy, a blast to drive on the open road but not really set up in OEM form to be a great track car.

I'm glad I have one of each, modding my GT3 helps me leave the Spyder in stock form, it's more than enough car for street use.

FTS

And 997.2 GT3 is 0.5 secs faster than Turbo S and 0.6 secs than 7.1 RS, and only 0.1 slower than 430 Scud. I am not sure what to make of those numbers

aussie jimmy

had a look on porsche.com configurator, and there are some great colours available for the cayman r, amethyst being just one of them...