ISUK

I didn't realise these seats are not available in the US. That seems crazy. I must have been riding around in a death trap then for the past 3 years in the eyes of your DOT as I've got a Cayman R with the same seats

Bill Verburg

They were available but DoT came up w/ a bunch of new standards more appropriate to sedans but nevertheless applied to everything up to and including pickup trucks, also included are backup cameras on all cars, great for my tow vehicles but totally unwanted on my sports cars.

ISUK

We picked it up on Tuesday so here are a few more photo's showing it at the correct ride height on the X73 option plus one alongside our outgoing 987R which has now gone to a new owner.

Toddster

Congrats
That is a great car
I managed to drive one a few laps at Monticello in NY during the Porsche Road Show
The car was a blast to drive, felt very torquey (SP?) in sport mode
Curious of your impression between the GTS and the outgoing R
Obviously you are moving on, how do the two compare performance wise?

Jon H

Beautiful cars and yard!

Is that a Alfa 4C in the background?

Tom Tweed

It is a indeed a beautiful car, and I am supremely covetous of those seats, but from the talk on the 991 GT3 forum, people have been able to order them on the GT3 for US delivery starting with build dates in November! Can the possibility of getting them here on a Cayman GTS (or other models) be far behind? Apparently, Porsche is expecting DOT approval by then.

TT

timothymoffat

The seats that are currently available to order for US spec 991 GT3s are similar to those in the 918. The seats in this (VERY lovely!) Cayman GTS are the folding buckets which were first available of the 997GT2 in 2008. They are no longer available on any US Porsche unfortunately.

To the OP, what a beautiful car. The X73 suspended car definitely looks the business. And delivers on the looks to boot. A big congratulations!

ISUK

Thank you for all the positive comments. The R was my other half's daily driver and she loved it. It was just time for a change and the GTS is currently the closest thing Porsche can offer as a replacement.

I drive her car on occasion so have got a good feel for the R and now the GTS. The best way I can think of to describe the GTS is that it is like a grown up version of the R. It is certainly capable of entertaining you as a driver if select Sport or Sport Plus modes and drive it more aggressively. The sound from the standard PSE system is far superior to the R IMHO and is much deeper with a real growl. The pops and bangs on downshifts in Sport mode with PDK as the throttle is blipped automatically may be a bit artificial but they sure are fun and I doubt I'd ever tire of them. The mechanical grip is excellent with lots of traction out corners.

The ride quality of the X73 option is simply leagues ahead of the sports suspension of the R. In that car you could really feel the suspension struggling to cope on badly surface roads and the rid could get quite harsh at times. The X73 GTS is far better at dealing with the same stretch of badly surfaced tarmac and smooths out a great deal more so you are aware that the surface is far from perfect but it does not translate to a jarring ride. If the car didn't sit as low as it does I'd actually think the factory had supplied it on PASM compared to the R.

The electric steering is less feelsome than the hydraulic rack in the R. The biggest difference is the immediacy of feel when you apply very small inputs from straight ahead. In the R you could feel the front wheels instantly change direction and there was greater feedback through the rim. In the GTS there is a slight vagueness if applying the same small inputs but overall it is extremely good.

In terms of daily use the GTS is a big step up in terms of comfort over the R. I liked the rawness of the R but at times the lack of sound deadening in the cabin could make it quite intense over longer journeys. There are no such issues with the GTS. Switch of the PSE and you can cruise along in perfect comfort so it has more of a dual personality.

And yes, that is an Alfa 4C visible in the background. The GTS is like a luxury limousine in comparison to that raucous little Italian bundle of fireworks.

Cowhorn

Love your yard, and thank you for the additional pictures!

Do you trim your hedges and bushes yourself?

ISUK

I do. Bit of a never ending job this year as everything has grown at a rate I've not seen before. The water table has been high due to a very wet winter and we've now had a good summer so it must be optimum conditions for fast growth.