The Cayman: A Proper Driver's Car?

If you've driven sports cars before, you might find that a Cayman is too easy to handle. This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with the car itself - nothing's inherently wrong with a Cayman - but rather that perhaps it gives you everything a bit too early on in your driving experience. A car like the Cayman S or GTS, for instance, might be more of a test to see just how quickly you can adapt to its performance and responsiveness.

Chassis-wise, the latest iteration of the Cayman is something of a departure from its predecessors. The Motorsport team has thrown the kitchen sink at it, equipping it with all-new front end brakes and a bespoke rear end that's almost identical to the one used in the GT3 cars. It's also got a manual gearbox, which is a welcome addition for those who still enjoy stirring the stick around as much as they can.

The big news about this car is, of course, the manual gearbox. Porsche has long been criticized for not putting a stick in their GT3 cars, and it seems that they've finally listened to fan feedback. The result is a car that's so much fun to drive, with a tangible connection between driver and machine that's hard to find these days. It's not about racing at breakneck speeds - although the Cayman is certainly capable of that - but rather about how you interact with the car itself.

Andreas Pinger was recently discussing this with us, highlighting the distinction between ultra-high performance cars and "driver's cars". While the latter are often used to describe high-performance cars like the GT3, Porsche seems to have realized that there's a difference between driving a car at its limits - which requires a lot of skill and practice - and actually enjoying the experience of driving it. The Cayman is, in this author's opinion, a proper driver's car: it challenges you to be better, to think more carefully about your driving, and to connect with the machine on a deeper level.

Now, some might say that Porsche has "stolen" their GT3 engine to put in the Cayman - and while that's not entirely untrue, it's worth noting that the engine itself is quite different from the one used in the GT3 cars. The Carrera S engine is still an incredibly powerful unit, producing 385 horsepower and 310 ftlb of torque, but it's not quite as extreme as the motor found in the GT3.

That being said, there's still no denying that this car has a lot of potency - and that's something that the Cayman S and GTS don't quite match. Whether you're driving on the road or on the track, the Cayman feels more substantial, more capable, and more like a proper racing car than its rivals.

The manual gearbox is also worth mentioning. Porsche has long been criticized for their PDK dual-clutch transmission - while it's certainly convenient and allows drivers to shift gears quickly, some have found it lacking in terms of connection and engagement. The Cayman, on the other hand, offers a more traditional driving experience: you get to think about what you're doing, match your revs with your speed, pick your gear carefully, and steer at the same time as shifting. It's a totally different challenge from simply pressing the paddle and going.

Of course, not everyone will be coming to this car expecting a GT3-like experience - but for those who are familiar with high-performance cars like the Cayman S or GTS, there's certainly something here that might make them feel like they're missing out. The Cayman is, in many ways, a more refined and more mature car than its rivals: it's not just about raw performance and speed, but also about how you drive it, how you interact with the machine, and how it makes you feel.

In terms of capability both on the road and on the circuit, this car truly raises the bar. The Porsche Motorsport team has done an excellent job in creating a car that's not just fast and agile - but also incredibly well-sorted and responsive. With its incredible performance figures and poise under braking, it's clear that this is a car that's been designed to deliver exactly what you want: a thrilling driving experience.

Overall, the Cayman is an exceptional car in every sense of the word. It's not just about speed - although it certainly delivers that in spades - but also about how you interact with the machine, and how it makes you feel as a driver. If you're looking for a proper driver's car that challenges you to be better, connects you to the car on a deeper level, and raises your game in every way possible, then this is certainly worth considering.

While some might say that Porsche has "stolen" their GT3 engine to put in the Cayman, it's worth noting that the engine itself is quite different from the one used in the GT3 cars. The Carrera S engine is still an incredibly powerful unit, producing 385 horsepower and 310 ftlb of torque - but it's not quite as extreme as the motor found in the GT3.

That being said, there's still no denying that this car has a lot of potency - and that's something that the Cayman S and GTS don't quite match. Whether you're driving on the road or on the track, the Cayman feels more substantial, more capable, and more like a proper racing car than its rivals.

In many ways, the Cayman is a more refined and more mature car than its rivals: it's not just about raw performance and speed - but also about how you drive it, how you interact with the machine, and how it makes you feel. With its incredible performance figures and poise under braking, it's clear that this is a car that's been designed to deliver exactly what you want.

Overall, the Cayman is an exceptional car in every sense of the word. It's not just about speed - although it certainly delivers that in spades - but also about how you interact with the machine, and how it makes you feel as a driver. If you're looking for a proper driver's car that challenges you to be better, connects you to the car on a deeper level, and raises your game in every way possible, then this is certainly worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif the internet's anything to go by you all want to know what this thing's like we're in the Cayman GT4 we're in beautiful Portugal portal circuit and we're just doing some some warm-up laps behind one of the porer structors but already you can probably hear this is a Cayman like no other made by Porsche's Motorsport and GT team so it's from the same mold as GT3 and it's what we've always wanted the Cayman to be I would say we drove the car earlier on today on the road and as soon as you get in it it's just got that bit more attitude to cat to your attention and to give you the sense that there's something more to learn from the car there's nothing wrong with a Cayman nothing wrong with a Cayman S or a GTS other than the fact that perhaps it gives you everything very early on in your Driving Experience if youve if you've driven sports cars before you kind of feel like you've got to know it too easily too readily that's not to say that they're going to deliberately engineer some flaws into a GT car but just from the sense of performance and the sense of responsiveness this is a proper driver's car I'm sure you know all the stats but we'll run through a few of the headline Figures it's got a 3.8 L 385 horsepower motor from the Carrera S so it's about 310 ftlb of torque so significantly ballsier than any Cayman we've driven up to now chassis wise they've thrown the kitchen sink at it really it's all GT3 front end brakes and at the rear it's pretty much all new so the Motorsport team have have done their thing there and it's got a manual gearbox which is such a joy to get in a car and have to stir a stick around it sounds very Quake but it connects you to the car on a much more physical and and mental level than pdk so in in chassis terms it's a kind of GT3 hybrid almost with some bespoke parts at the rear end the big news with this car is the manual gearbox he so used to criticizing Porsche for not putting a stick in a GT3 and they've kind of listened to that and given us what we've been asking for in this car and it's so much fun it's so nice to have to think about what you're doing and match the revs with the speed and pick the right gear and steer at the same time as shifting it's a totally different challenge it's not going at a manic kind of pace that a GT3 car will but you're so busy and so focused on what you're doing and that's what a driver's car is about and interestingly Andreas Pinger was saying last night when we were discussing the car and this the enormous performance that these cars have that they're actually making a distinction between ultra high performance cars and driver's cars the driver's car is something that requires a driver to operate in the ultra high performance stuff pdk and they do the lap times and they do the acceleration times but if you're a purist and perhaps a bit oldfashioned like me in terms of what you like from a car it's this this whole experience is what you crave and what you want from a a high performance Porsche what a fantastic thing it's not a motorsport engine as I've said it's the Carrera S engine and if you're coming to this car expecting something extraordinary like the gt3s motor then you know it doesn't give you that but that would require completely re-engineering the car again the GT3 engine doesn't fit with the intake system there's a different challenge getting air into an out of a mid-engine car versus a rear engine car you couldn't run the manual box with that engine so you know I know it's tempting to they've given you a GT4 now we want a GT4 RS and why can't you stick a GT3 motor in it blah blah blah there's nothing to say that they can't do something like that but it's not the work of a moment it's it's another complete re-engineering job we know Andreas ping and his team like a challenge and I'm sure you know they're thinking very hard about how to improve on this car because that's why they get out of bed every morning is to make their cars faster and more exciting if you're coming from a Cayman regular Cayman this is not another world but in in the way it STS and stops and handles it's something of a different magnitude I think in terms of capability both on the road and on the circuit it's a proper it's a proper Motorsport GT car it has poison grip and it's got some balls in the way it delivers its performance and it forces you to think about how you drive it how to get the best from it and how to adjust its attitude mid corner and under breaking in a way that the Cayman S and GTS they just don't have that reach and that potency and that's what maybe leaves you a little bit wanting in those cars they're wonderful things they're lovely cars to drive but they don't raise their game and they don't require you to raise your game this car does and that's why I think we've all been so excited about it because that's what it's promised and from what we've experienced today it absolutely deliversif the internet's anything to go by you all want to know what this thing's like we're in the Cayman GT4 we're in beautiful Portugal portal circuit and we're just doing some some warm-up laps behind one of the porer structors but already you can probably hear this is a Cayman like no other made by Porsche's Motorsport and GT team so it's from the same mold as GT3 and it's what we've always wanted the Cayman to be I would say we drove the car earlier on today on the road and as soon as you get in it it's just got that bit more attitude to cat to your attention and to give you the sense that there's something more to learn from the car there's nothing wrong with a Cayman nothing wrong with a Cayman S or a GTS other than the fact that perhaps it gives you everything very early on in your Driving Experience if youve if you've driven sports cars before you kind of feel like you've got to know it too easily too readily that's not to say that they're going to deliberately engineer some flaws into a GT car but just from the sense of performance and the sense of responsiveness this is a proper driver's car I'm sure you know all the stats but we'll run through a few of the headline Figures it's got a 3.8 L 385 horsepower motor from the Carrera S so it's about 310 ftlb of torque so significantly ballsier than any Cayman we've driven up to now chassis wise they've thrown the kitchen sink at it really it's all GT3 front end brakes and at the rear it's pretty much all new so the Motorsport team have have done their thing there and it's got a manual gearbox which is such a joy to get in a car and have to stir a stick around it sounds very Quake but it connects you to the car on a much more physical and and mental level than pdk so in in chassis terms it's a kind of GT3 hybrid almost with some bespoke parts at the rear end the big news with this car is the manual gearbox he so used to criticizing Porsche for not putting a stick in a GT3 and they've kind of listened to that and given us what we've been asking for in this car and it's so much fun it's so nice to have to think about what you're doing and match the revs with the speed and pick the right gear and steer at the same time as shifting it's a totally different challenge it's not going at a manic kind of pace that a GT3 car will but you're so busy and so focused on what you're doing and that's what a driver's car is about and interestingly Andreas Pinger was saying last night when we were discussing the car and this the enormous performance that these cars have that they're actually making a distinction between ultra high performance cars and driver's cars the driver's car is something that requires a driver to operate in the ultra high performance stuff pdk and they do the lap times and they do the acceleration times but if you're a purist and perhaps a bit oldfashioned like me in terms of what you like from a car it's this this whole experience is what you crave and what you want from a a high performance Porsche what a fantastic thing it's not a motorsport engine as I've said it's the Carrera S engine and if you're coming to this car expecting something extraordinary like the gt3s motor then you know it doesn't give you that but that would require completely re-engineering the car again the GT3 engine doesn't fit with the intake system there's a different challenge getting air into an out of a mid-engine car versus a rear engine car you couldn't run the manual box with that engine so you know I know it's tempting to they've given you a GT4 now we want a GT4 RS and why can't you stick a GT3 motor in it blah blah blah there's nothing to say that they can't do something like that but it's not the work of a moment it's it's another complete re-engineering job we know Andreas ping and his team like a challenge and I'm sure you know they're thinking very hard about how to improve on this car because that's why they get out of bed every morning is to make their cars faster and more exciting if you're coming from a Cayman regular Cayman this is not another world but in in the way it STS and stops and handles it's something of a different magnitude I think in terms of capability both on the road and on the circuit it's a proper it's a proper Motorsport GT car it has poison grip and it's got some balls in the way it delivers its performance and it forces you to think about how you drive it how to get the best from it and how to adjust its attitude mid corner and under breaking in a way that the Cayman S and GTS they just don't have that reach and that potency and that's what maybe leaves you a little bit wanting in those cars they're wonderful things they're lovely cars to drive but they don't raise their game and they don't require you to raise your game this car does and that's why I think we've all been so excited about it because that's what it's promised and from what we've experienced today it absolutely delivers\n"