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The Cayman is a mid-engined 2-seat sports car produced by Porsche AG of Germany. First launched in the 2006 model year, the Cayman is the coupé version of the second generation Porsche Boxster convertible. Like the Boxster, the Cayman is assembled in Finland by Valmet Automotive.

Contents

Development

Performance

Name

Statistics

Deliveries

See also

References

External links

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 of 2005, but the public unveiling did not take place until September (at the Frankfurt Motor Show). The S suffix (an acronym for Special^[1]) 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 of 2006. A motorsport-tuned model, the 'Cayman RS', is rumored to have been tested at the Nürburgring that same year.^[2]
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 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.^[3][4] 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.
The 3.4 litre six-cylinder boxer engine (type M97.21) in the Cayman S is derived from the Boxster S's 3.2 litre powerplant (M96.26), but features cylinder heads from the 997 S's 3.8 litre motor (M97.01) with the VarioCam Plus inlet valve timing and lift system. The normal Cayman is powered by a 2.7 litre version of that engine (M97.20). The exclusive use of these new powerplants in Caymans ended with the 2007 model year when the Boxster (987.310) and Boxster S (987.320) were upgraded with the engine from the respective Cayman model.^[5]
A 5-speed manual transaxle is standard on the normal Cayman, while a 6-speed manual (Getrag 466) is the default for the S (and an option on the normal). An electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transaxle (Tiptronic) is also available. 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'').

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^[6] in a time of 8 minutes, 11 seconds.^{[7] [8]} The time for a standard Cayman S, as published by the manufacturer, was 8 minutes, 20 seconds.^[9] In contrast, Röhrl recorded 8 minutes, 15 seconds in a 911 Carrera.^[10]
[11] 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.
A Cayman prepared and run by privateers Jürgen and Uwe Alzen finished fourth overall (of 220 entrants) in the 2007 running of the Nürburgring 24 Hour race, ahead of two flagship Porsche 997 GT3 RSR's, a 997 GT3 Cup, and a 996 GT3 Cup.^[12] 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.^[13]
A performance car feature which is not available from 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 the 911 Carrera. Several tuning companies offer Cayman buyers the ability to retrofit a LSD.

'Performance data: Porsche 987c'
Model (Source)	0-60 mph	0-100 km/h (062 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 (Auto Motor Sport)	?	5.5 s	12 s	19.2 s	?	?	?
Cayman S (Manufacturer)	5.1 s	5.4 s	11.7 s	18.6 s	?	24.3 s	275 km/h (170 mph)
Cayman S (Automobile)	5.1 s	?	?	?	13.7 @ 105 mph	?	?
Cayman S (Road & Track)	4.8 s	?	?	?	13.3 @ 106 mph	?	?
''Where identified ROW/US stand for applicable gear ratios''

Name

The name "Cayman" is said to be an alternate spelling of caiman, a species of reptile closely related to the alligator. Porsche has, in fact, donated to a Stuttgart Zoo's caiman exhibit, because of the shared namesakes between the animal and the automobile. The car was not named after the Cayman Islands, although the islands' name also derives from that of the caiman.

Statistics

Model	MSRP (in USD)	Horsepower	Torque	0-60 mph	Top Speed	Fuel Economy (EPA)	Official Model Site/Minisite
Cayman	$49,400	245 hp @ 6,500 rpm	201 lb-ft at 4,600-6,000 rpm	5.8 s	160/161 mph(5-Speed/6-Speed)[14] [15] [16][17]	26 MPG (combined)	[1]/[2]
Cayman S	$58,900	295 hp @ 6,250 rpm	251 lb-ft at 4,400-6,000 rpm	4.8 s	171 mph[15] [19][20] [21] [22]	23 MPG (combined)	[4]/[5]

Deliveries

Model Year	North American	Rest of World	Total	Notes
2006	7313	?	?
Total	7313	?	?

Source

See also

★ Porsche Boxster

★ Porsche 997

References

1. Snappy Genes
2. Porsche Cayman RS in the works?
3. 2006 Porsche Cayman S
4. Test Drive: 2007 Porsche Cayman ‘S’
5. First Drive: 2007 Porsche Boxster S
6. Porsche's new kid on the grid
7. 8:11 --- 151.274 km/h - Porsche Cayman S driven by Walter Röhrl as reported by French magazine "sport AUTO" 07/2005
8. "AutoWeek" Magazine article. Published May 30th 2005, accessed Dec 3rd 2006
9. Complete Vehicle The new Cayman S
10. 8:15 --- 149.818 km/h - Porsche 997 Carrera 2 driven by Walter Röhrl as reported by Australian magazine "WHEELS" 06/2004
11. "Automobile" Magazine 2006 Porsche Cayman S review article. 3rd paragraph. Accessed Dec 3rd 2006
12. Zurich 24h race results, race #35 (in German). retrieved 2007-Jun-14
13. Auto Bild article (in German) for July 2007 issue. retrieved 2007-Jun-14
14. Road & Track: Cayman 2007 Cayman. 4th Paragraph: Top Speed is down from 171 [For the S] to 160/161. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
15. Porsche USA. Cayman 160, Cayman S 171. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
16. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=4015
17. Motor Trend review of base Cayman. 161. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
18. Porsche USA. Cayman 160, Cayman S 171. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
19. Santa Fe Drive. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
20. Gayot Automobile Review: Porsche Cayman S from Barber Motorsports Park. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
21. RSportsCars.com. Accessed Jan 3rd 2007
22. Automobile Magazine Cayman S Road Test. [3]

External links

★ Cayman models at official Porsche website

★ Official Cayman minisite

★ Official Cayman S minisite

★ The Cayman Club - unofficial Cayman Enthusiast site