evo UK – September 2019

(Axel Boer) #1

THERE’S MUCH ANTICIPATION OF THE


recently announced Cayman GT4 with its fl at-six


(hurrah!), just as there was an amazing buzz around the


last Cayman GT4. Such was the hype that moments after


leaving Porsche dealers at about £65k, GT4s were up for


sale for over £100k, or the same as a new 911 GT3.


Having driven both, it seemed to me that the market


had gone a bit mad. This was partly because the GT3


was a better driver’s car (despite being PDK-only), had a


proper loopy fl at-six in the back and was thus much more


compelling for the same money. Mainly,


though, it was because, thrilling as the GT4


was, it had failed to displace the best Cayman


I had driven.


That was the Cayman R, a car which some


diehard Porsche fans hated for the fact it


squandered such a reveredname, but which


I could easily forgive because it had given me


one of those moments that guaranteed it a


place in the hard drive of my memorymarked


‘best drives.mov’.


evoCar of the Year 2011 was held at and


around Portimão Circuit, Portugal, and


the Cayman R didn’t provide a moment so much as an


extended drive on a loop of rural roads out the back of


the circuit. They were invitingly twisty and scenic but at


times shoddily surfaced, and so many contenders started


out promisingly but were soon undone by its challenges.


One of the few that emerged with its reputation enhanced


was the Cayman R.


We didn’t get off to a scintillating start because, like


most quick Porsches, the Cayman R’s low-speed feel


PORSCHE CAYMAN R


suggested it had disinterested, heavy steering and an


engine that would rather be somewhere else. It was a


325bhp fl at-six– nothing to worrythe 911 but a tastyshove


for the Cayman, and the harder you worked it, the better


it sounded. Its tone was metallic, hard-edged, like its


delivery, which you quickly realised was expertly matched


to the grip and handling.


Whenever you’re driving a gutsy-sounding fl at-six,


almost inevitably you think 911 and subconsciously


expect the traction. The Cayman can’t deliver that and


the traction control light of the R was busy.


Having got fed up with the fl ickering light


and throttle interventions and accepted that


corner-exit drive would be limited, I turned


off the traction and stability control. The


Cayman was brilliant: neat and predictable,


skilfully dealing with the bumps and surface


scars. Best of all, though, was its mid-corner


poise. The sensation of driving it into a corner


hard, carrying momentum, and it settling


right into the apex, four-square, neither end


dominating but both offering adjustment –


an extra few degrees of steering or a fi rmer


squeeze of the throttle – corner after corner after corner


was utterly sublime. I made it my winner, but the GT3 RS


4.0 won overall.


The R wasn’t a 911, but the mid-engined Cayman will


always be a little different; the new Cayman GT4 won’tbe


a 911 either, but it will probably also be brilliant in its own


way. The fact that right now you can get a Cayman R for


half the price of the fi rst GT4 should please anyone who


likes a great Porsche.


‘ITSPOISE,


CORNERAFTER


CORNERAFTER


CORNER,WAS


SUBLIME’


Ignore the GT4 and consider its R-badged forebear, saysJohn Barker

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