1:18 scale Cayman for redesign

I am looking for a good Cayman model, around 1:18 scale, having plans to do some scultping to remodel the body before moving to CAD. Do you have any recommendations? Maisto, Bburago? Additionally, I found this spectacular 1:18 Porsche for 500 quid. Check it out: https://www.ebay.com/i/123797069510...3-24755-13%26rvr_id%3D2111144645882%26rvr_ts%3D3558429316d0a99c72f061bcfff261e3

Finally I went with a Maisto model 1:18, it's even better than I expected. I also did a thorough search, there is some surprisingly good body work done to some 987s as on the first 2 pics. I started working with clay (following pics). First I went with the widest hips that are aesthetically pleasing, and a wider wheel (only the right side). It looks swollen and unnatural from the rear due to the tail lights. In general, the goal is to fabricate panels from carbon fiber and create a custom widebody.

Have you seen the work Roads Scholars did with their widebody Cayman ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTLJCbfI1k

Yes I did. It is amazing and partially inspired me to go for it. Exhaust note could be a little more GT3 high pitched for my taste, but I'm being fussy. The green Cayman that I put next to it on the picture is also widened seamlessly - I like it. I want to go one step further and increase the diameter of the ellipse defining rear fenders - arrows (my most recent clay model with photoshop ). It equals moving the light laterally - you can compare it on the pic with the dotted line. It changes the character of the car quite dramatically and putting a wing or a duck tail starts to make sense (soon). Some graphic designer on the web did a great work playing with the 987 design which also shows a full curve and not a wave on the rear fender (picture). Work in progress.

2 more pics, all 4 corners have initial widening but I see front is too wide. You can tell how much less volume there is at the right front fender (viewers side) than the left. I am not painting over the clay until I reach the desired shape, but later I will prepare sketches that look more like renders. It takes time and this is just an after hour project.

I think I got it, I need to figure out the taillight situation, possibly leave the original lamps. I will upload more pics eventually. Can you recommend a person to fabricate carbon fiber panels? I am looking for a price estimate and the technique details. Maybe we can create molds to market them for other users.

Baby's got back! Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Wait until I build this thing.

Check out this beast: https://********.com/how-tos/slides...ow-tos/slideshows/2007-cayman-inspired-by-super-gt-race-cars-592614#showstopper

@up - saw it, amazing work. Too bad the owner supposedly did not pursue engine work, despite the looks it was a standard 3.4 inside with 300 horses. I wan't to keep it more retro, less acute angles, I think the biggest problem to make the 987 look mean are the tail lights. Can't figure out how to make them look good, I may need to order a custom lamp like the one below. I am thinking that build will start from a blown engine 987, I will ship the engine for a rebuild to 4.2, I was also looking at gt3 engines, but they are quite expensive in comparison and completely incompatible with anything else in the car. I found some folks doing a DFI 3.8 from the 997S to 987.1 for 45k, which is still more expensive than boring to 4.2. I am debating this over an F430, but I always wanted to build a car.

please delete thread.

Why delete it? I was looking forward to following your progress As to the taillights, I think that extending the stock shape inboard, to fill the gap created by moving the entire lamp assembly outboard, would closely mimic the original design intent. But it's difficult to tell if this would work aesthetically, or if the entire lamp size would need to increase by scaling up proportionally. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I'm trying to visualize what you are saying, it may work but would also require new lamp fabrication. First I will explore more of this 959 style. It is easy to make one perspective work and have literally every other be a disaster.

I think you may find this design interesting, you may not see this well but this is a much wider, bulkier version that I made before. Tail lights would go anywhere just following the curves (GT40 style would probably be sacrilege )). This will end up with a technical view comparison of all versions, I noticed that I become fond of versions like this one despite constantly moving forward and finding new ways. Please forgive my ridiculous way of tying the model to a tripod, I didn't have a drill.

I think I found the right proportion for this spoiler design. The car is 140mm wider at the rear and 70mm at the front. There are details missing, you see it especially on the picture of the back. Hips of this thing look absolutely badass no matter the angle, unlike the original design which looked feeble from some perspectives. There is one more iteration to design before I can figure out what to do in reality, one with with the original tail lights. To add some spice to this story, my 987 was totaled by my insurance company this week. I swerved to avoid hitting a coyote and hit a curb at 10mph. Front unibody damage. I'm looking at a 987.2 S turbo at the moment, to continue with my goal of building new skin on the car. But I think I will wait with my purchase until after the winter.

Started the last iteration, I think the Porsche way was the most... sensual, from lack of a better word, bodily like. It is enough to just widen things and voila. May just be the right answer.

I had to put this concept into the drawer, purchase another 987 after having an accident in the first one, and now after half a year - look at the sculptures one more time... Even if for some reason I can't build it, I find this to be the best design, a little more unique than just a widebody, or kind of ugly Pandem kits. My mounting of the model is not pretty either, but I've cut it out in PS where I could. I know you would need more angles to say for sure, but this one works wherever you stand looking at it (which is the problem of 99% online renders). EDIT: I thought I saw a Porsche that ends its tail similarly - it's the 904 obviously (facepalm). So imagine the same lights on it: Btw, it's funny how the tail changes the proportion of the body, it looks much more serious in this iteration.

The two shapes I thought Porsche could have done a better job with on the 987 are the side intakes and the front fenders. I think the 981 side intakes look much more integrated. As for the front fenders, I would like to see a little more arch along the top of the fender into the lights. That is such as classic shape as you can see on the 904 above.

Both interesting points lesmurray. I assume that the front fender curve is even lesser in your eyes in the 981 ? Since posting this I realized that fiberglass, not carbon fiber is the way to go here.

On the air cooled 911s , that line across the top of the fender to the light was pretty flat and I think they carried that over into the 996/997 with just a little arch in it for better aerodynamics. When you look at some of the best looking cars, like the AC Cobra, Ferrari Dino, D-Type Jag, you see that really nice arched fender. They 987 I already feel like I am sitting down inside the car and to see that arch when I look out the front from the cockpit just reinforces that feeling.

lesmurray - I tried changing the curve to the front fenders - rather impossible by adding volume, maybe shaving off, which I can't do yet. Also, Ford GT40 lights don't work here, only going Carrera GT way works.

I would think to make it work, you'd probably have to lower the top of the doors to get the proportions correct.

lesmurray - interesting idea, I went back to the original front fender height however - increasing its lateral volume makes it much more bulky and oldschool. I will upload the ultimate design after I get some pics. Overall, I think I'm coming to the end of this project. I studied Porsche proportions across most of the lineup and they are very particular, very consistent in the lenght/width ratio in consideration to the wheelbase, hard to be surprised - they got us used to the right sports car dimensions for so long. Widening the body a little bit yes - changing other dimensions or overhangs - a big no no, especially in the 987. I was trying to refer to the 935 but this seams to work only with the 911 shape, when you widen the 987 and add rear overhang you run out of wheelbase - it looks out of whack, way too short! This is the ultimate design I would go for (rendered out of the RoadScholar's car), it does work from every perspective:

I like the body work Road Scholars did to the 987. I think they flared the front fenders slightly (or just put on GT3 front fenders along with lights and GT3 front bumper). I would still like to see the side intakes incorporated better, like along the lines of the 981 or the Carrera GT.