Porsche Cayman

Porsche Cayman
Porsche Cayman S
Manufacturer Porsche
Also called Porsche 987c
Production 2005–
Assembly Uusikaupunki, Finland (Valmet Automotive)
Predecessor Porsche 968
Class Sports car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
Layout RMR layout
Engine(s) 2.7 L flat-6, 245 hp (183 kW)
3.4 L flat-6, 295 hp (220 kW)
Transmission(s) 5-speed automatic
5-speed manual
6-speed manual
Wheelbase 2416 mm (95.1 in)
Length 4372 mm (172.1 in)
Width 1801 mm (70.9 in)
Height 1305 mm (51.4 in)
Curb weight 1,340 kg (2,954 lb)
Related Porsche 987
Porsche 997
Designer Pinky Lai

The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive 2-seat sports car produced by Porsche AG of Germany. First launched in the 2006 model year , the Cayman is a coupé derived from Porsche's second generation Boxster convertible. Like the Boxster, the Cayman is assembled in Finland for Porsche by Valmet Automotive. Porsche's Deputy Chairman, Holger P. Harter confirmed that their contract with Valmet Automotive will end 2012, and Cayman's production will be outsourced to Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik of Graz, Austria. (Panorama, 2008) [1]

Contents

Development

After two years of development, the first model of the coupé to be released was the Cayman S (type 987.120). Photographs and technical details were released in May 2005, but the public unveiling did not take place until the September Frankfurt Motor Show. The S suffix (an acronym for Sport[2] or Special[3]) indicated that this was a higher performance version of a then unreleased normal model. That model, the Cayman (987.110), went on sale in July 2006. A motorsport-tuned model, the Cayman RS, is rumored to have been tested at the Nürburgring that same year.[4]

The Cayman coupé (project 987c) and the second generation Boxster convertible (project 987) share the same mid-engined platform and many components, including the front fenders and trunk lid, side doors, headlights, tailights and forward portion of the interior. The design of the Cayman's body incorporates styling cues from two classic Porsches; the 550 Coupé and the 904 Coupé.[5][6] Unlike the Boxster, the Cayman has a large hatchback for access to luggage areas on top and in back of the engine cover. The suspension design is fundamentally the same as that of the Boxster, but features revised settings appropriate to the increase in chassis stiffness resulting from the Cayman's fixed roof.

Rear corner view of the Cayman S

The 3.4 litre flat-6 boxer engine (M97.21) in the Cayman S is derived from the 3.2 litre powerplant (M96.26) that was used in the Boxster S, but features cylinder heads from the Porsche 997 S's 3.8 litre motor (M97.01) which have the VarioCam Plus inlet valve timing and lift system. A less powerful but more fuel efficient version, the 2.7 litre M97.20, powers the base model. The use of these new powerplants exclusively in Caymans ended in MY 2007 when Porsche upgraded the the Boxster (987.310) and Boxster S (987.320).[7]

A 5-speed manual transaxle is standard on the normal Cayman (G87.01), while a 6-speed manual (Getrag 466) is the default for the S (G87.21) and an option on the normal (A87.20). An electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transaxle (Tiptronic) is also available on the S (A87.21) and the non-S version (A87.02). Other options include active shock absorbers (ThyssenKrupp Bilstein GmbH's DampTronic, rebadged as PASM by Porsche), ceramic disc brakes (PCCB), xenon headlights (Hella's Bi-Xenon) and an electronically controlled sport mode (Sport Chrono Package).

Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1

It is a model designed by Porsche Design, commemorating 35th anniversary of Porsche Design. The all black car features black leather and Alcantara upholstery, black center console, dashboard, and door trims, black Alcantara steering wheel, the gear lever, the handbrake grip, and the roof lining, standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), 19-inch 911 Turbo wheels with 235/35 ZR 19 front and 265/35 ZR 19 rear tires. Body is lowered by 10mm. Standard equipment includes an elegant briefcase containing the Flat Six Chronograph, a pocket knife, a pair of sunglasses, a pen, and a key ring – all in black, even the knife blade.

777 vehicles were produced as 2008 models. It went on sale on November 2007 in Germany, followed by the US in January 2008. Base price is 58,600 Euros.[8]

Cayman S Sport

Porsche also announced the production of limited Cayman S Sport, to be available on October 2008 as a 2009 model.[9] It features a freer-flowing exhaust, which raises power from 295 hp at 6250 rpm to 303 hp at an identical 6250 rpm. The Cayman S Sport comes in Bright Orange and Signal Green (from the Porsche 911 GT3 RS), as well as Carrera White, Speed Yellow, Guards Red, Black and Arctic Silver. The Cayman S has striping on the sides, black 19-inch wheels, as well as an Alcantara steering wheel directly from the 911 GT3 RS. The instrumentation loses its hood. The body is lowered by 0.4 inches, and the performance exhaust system is louder. 700 are to be made for worldwide market, with 100 for the U.S. and Canada. It will cost $69,900 USD.

Awards

The Cayman has been the recipient of a number of awards, including:

Performance

The performance of the Cayman S approaches that of Porsche's flagship sports car, the 911 Carrera. Rally legend Walter Röhrl lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in a Cayman S equipped with optional 19" wheels, PCCB, and PASM[10] in a time of 8 minutes, 11 seconds.[11] [12] The time for a standard Cayman S, as published by the manufacturer, was 8 minutes, 20 seconds.[13] In contrast, Röhrl recorded 8 minutes, 15 seconds in a 911 Carrera.[14] [15] The similarity in performance between the two cars has led to speculation about whether the Cayman S will cannibalize sales of the Carrera, as the basic Carrera's recommended retail price in the United States is $12,400 higher than that of the Cayman S.

Side view of the Porsche Cayman S

A Cayman prepared and run by privateers Jürgen and Uwe Alzen finished fourth overall (of 220 entrants) in the 2007 Nürburgring 24 Hour race, ahead of two flagship Porsche 997 GT3 RSR's, a 997 GT3 Cup, and a 996 GT3 Cup.[16] Another two privateer Caymans, entered by CSR and MSpeed, finished 22nd and 117th overall, respectively. Porsche disclaims support for the Cayman teams, while supporting some or all of the 997 teams.[17]

A sports car feature which is not offered by Porsche for the Cayman is limited slip differential (LSD). Some commentators have speculated that LSD is not offered, even as an option, because the Cayman S's performance would then be too close to that of the 911 Carrera (see Crippleware). Several tuning companies offer Cayman buyers the ability to retrofit an LSD. Also the biggest engine (3.8l) or the turbo engine is not available in the Cayman.

Performance data
Source 0-60 mph 0-100 km/h
(62 mph)		 0-160 km/h
(100 mph)		 0-200 km/h
(125 mph)		 1/4 mile 1 km Top speed
Cayman
Manufacturer 5.8 s 6.1 s 14.2 s - - - 258 km/h (160 mph)
Cayman S
Manufacturer 5.1 s 5.4 s 11.7 s 18.6 s - 24.3 s 275 km/h (171 mph)
Auto Motor Sport - 5.5 s 12 s 19.2 s - - -
Automobile 5.1 s - - - 13.7 @ 105 mph (169 km/h) - -
Car and Driver 5.1 s - 12.0 s - 13.4 @ 105 mph (169 km/h) - -
Road & Track 4.8 s - - - 13.3 @ 106 mph (171 km/h) - -

Name

Cayman is an alternate spelling of caiman, a reptile in the same family as the alligator. The car is not named after the Cayman Islands; rather the islands' also derive their name from the caiman. On the same day that the first Caymans arrived at dealerships for sale, Porsche adopted four caimans at the Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.[18]

Specifications

Model MSRP (in USD) Horsepower Torque 0-60 mph Top Speed Fuel Economy (United States Environmental Protection Agency‎) Official Model Site/Minisite
Cayman $49,400 245 hp (183 kW) @ 6,500 rpm 201 lb·ft (273 N·m) at 4,600-6,000 rpm 5.8 s 160 mph (257 km/h)/161 mph (259 km/h)

(5-Speed/6-Speed) [19] [20] [21] [22]

 26 miles per US gallon (11 km/l/31 mpg-imp) (combined) [2]/[3]
Cayman S $59,100 295 hp (220 kW) @ 6,250 rpm 251 lb·ft (340 N·m) at 4,400-6,000 rpm 5.1 s 171 mph (275 km/h)

[23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

 23 miles per US gallon (9.8 km/l/28 mpg-imp) (combined) [4]/[5]

Deliveries

Calendar Year U.S.A. (Normal/Special) North America Rest of World Total Notes
2006 1160 / 5865 7313 8984 16297 NA Source
2007 2650 / 3377 6249 8736 14985 NA Source
Total 3810 / 9242 13562 17720 31282

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kati Renvall (2008-06-26). "Valmet Automotive's current assembly contract with Porsche to come to an end in 2012". Metso Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
  2. ↑ "What makes a Porsche a Porsche" (PDF). Porsche Marketing. Retrieved on June 18, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Snappy Genes". Christophorus Magazine. Retrieved on February 19, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Porsche Cayman RS in the works?". Autoblog. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
  5. ↑ "2006 Porsche Cayman S". sport-cars.org. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Test Drive: 2007 Porsche Cayman ‘S’". Champweb.net. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
  7. ↑ "First Drive: 2007 Porsche Boxster S". Inside Line. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
  8. ↑ Blackout: Porsche unveils limited-edition Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1
  9. ↑ 2009 Porsche Boxster S Porsche Design Edition 2 and Cayman S Sport - Car News
  10. ↑ "Porsche's new kid on the grid". drive.com.au. Retrieved on February 12, 2007.
  11. ↑ 8:11 --- 151.274 km/h - Porsche Cayman S driven by Walter Röhrl as reported by French magazine "sport AUTO" 07/2005
  12. ↑ "AutoWeek" Magazine article. Published May 30th 2005, accessed Dec 3rd 2006
  13. ↑ "Complete Vehicle The new Cayman S". Porsche Engineering. Retrieved on February 11, 2007.
  14. ↑ 8:15 --- 149.818 km/h - Porsche 997 Carrera 2 driven by Walter Röhrl as reported by Australian magazine "WHEELS" 06/2004
  15. ↑ "Automobile" Magazine 2006 Porsche Cayman S review article. 3rd paragraph. Accessed Dec 3rd 2006
  16. ↑ Zurich 24h race results, race #35 (in German). retrieved 2007-Jun-14
  17. ↑ Auto Bild article (in German) for July 2007 issue. retrieved 2007-Jun-14
  18. ↑ "Porsche Cayman in showrooms". Left Lane News. Retrieved on January 12, 2008.
  19. ↑ Road & Track: Cayman 2007 Cayman. 4th Paragraph: Top Speed is down from 171 [For the S] to 160/161. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  20. ↑ Porsche USA. Cayman 160, Cayman S 171. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  21. ↑ ROADandTRACK.com - First Drives - First Drive: 2007 Porsche Cayman (11/2006)
  22. ↑ Motor Trend review of base Cayman. 161. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  23. ↑ Porsche USA. Cayman 160, Cayman S 171. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  24. ↑ Santa Fe Drive. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  25. ↑ Gayot Automobile Review: Porsche Cayman S from Barber Motorsports Park. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  26. ↑ RSportsCars.com. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
  27. ↑ Automobile Magazine Cayman S Road Test. [1]

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