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