All:
I was just in the UK on a business trip and picked up two magazines,
<u>GT Purely Porsche</u>
and
<u>Car</u>
. I didn't have a scanner to get you the article and pictures, but I took the time to re-type two articles I found very good. FYI the
<u>GT Purely Porsche</u>
article (shown in another thread) places a6SpdCayman S against a Tiptronic C4S. The <u>
Car
</u> article basically reviewed the Cayman S and rated it the best car to drive in '06.
Here are the articles...enjoy!!
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<u>GT Purely Porsche[/quote]</u>
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February 2006
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<u>Second Opinion – Chris Knapman</u>
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<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">A never ending series of blind crests and unsighted corners coupled with a road surface greasier than a donor kebab should kick-start the “must slow down” part of my brain into life.Especially when the car I’m in has its engine hung out behind the rear axle and, more importantly still, someone else’s name on the V5.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Today thought it’s okay to press on because the car in question is a 996 Carrera 4S, a machine famed for its ability to cover unfamiliar ground at rapid pace.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Once away from the motorway monotony and on to some decent B-roads this sports exhaust equipped C4S lands its first killer blow, and it sound lik ethis: ‘Brroogghhh-oorrrgghhhh-aarggghh-aghhhhh’, culminating in a loud, brutal yet harmonious metallic crescendo pitched just so to leave everyone of the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. What.A. Noise[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">As I home in the on the pert rump of the much quieter Cayman S in the distance, 996 boxer enginein full war cry, the metaphorical mountain Porsche’s new mid-engine coupe has to climb seems to have got that little bit steeper. Things don’t seem to get any better for the cocky upstart when the two cars are parked side by side.The Carrera oozes dignity right from its broad hips through to the gaping intakes of its Turbo bumper – it really is a true class act.The Cayman on the other hand looks feisty, pent up and ready to scrap with nay BMW or TVR that crosses its path[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">And it’s not just in looks that the Cayman S is the more immature of the two cars.It’s incharacter as well, It feels darty and agile where the 996 I smooth and calculated, and beams a youthful exuberance hidden in the 911. Sure, its limits are so much higher that to explore them on public roads remains the preserve of true heroes.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Where you climb in the 911 and feel respect you into the Cayman and give it a good thrashing – it’s just that kind of car and I, for one, love it.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Couple this with a cabin that represents a huge step forward over the 996 in terms of both quality and ambiance, plus enough luggage space for those weekend getaways, and the Cayman is starting to look like a serious contender for victory I this Porsche-themed David and Goliath-esque clash.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Essentially then what we have here is a dilemma that can only be settled by personal preference and if it were my money it would go on the Cayman S.I don’t care that is Porsche isn’t part of one of motoring’s most evocative model lines, or about the snobbery I would inevitably encounter form 911 drivers.I would simply hop in it every day a revel in chucking about one of the most accessible Porsches ever built.It would have to have s sports exhaust though.[/quote]</div>
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<u>Car[/quote]</u>
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February 2006
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<u>…But it is Better than A Porsche 911– Chris Chilton</u>
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<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Is the Cayman better than a 911?To many, this is the only question needing an answer; to others it’s simply irrelevant. Those with the money to do so are still likely to gravitate towards the bigger car, lured by the power, practicality and, oh, go on, just admit it, the snob appeal of those three iconic numbers.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">But those with open minds and the money to choose freely – and those of you with the financial clout for neither but the curiosity of a true car fanatic – need to know. [/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">So I’ll tell you: screw the cynics and the snobs who’ll tell you otherwise, siave yourself [/quote]£[/quote]15k and buy the Cayman over a Carrera (or direct your hate mail to
[email removed]
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<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">Yes, we could sit here for pages and pages discussing how extracting the most from the more heavily rear-biased 911’s chassis represents a greater challenge to the accomplished driver and is therefore more rewarding.And you know what? It does, and it is.Anyone can drive a 911 quickly, but to do it well necessitates using the mass of the big rear-mounted engine to tick the nose into the corner and avoid the understeer that clumsy treatment can deliver.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">The Cyaman feels more immediately agile in comparison, smaller, less substantial, less demanding, and certainly more flattering and easier to exploit.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">But for the majority of drivers, we’re talking shades of grey.The simple truthis that for most owners who won’t get near a track, a a few of those who will, the Cayman is not just substantially cheaper, but the better car.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">One the road, the Cayman feels lighter on its feet and yet, unlike its Boxster brethren, it really does sound as good as a 911.While it might not have quite such fantastic traction in the wet as its bigger brother, it understeers less and is far more amenable when it comes to switching off the PSM stability control and playing with the laws of physics.Want some science to go with this?The Cayman is actually four seconds faster round the Nordschleife that a Carrera.[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">I should clarify that I’m talking about the regular 911 Carrera here, not the Carrera S, which is substantially faster ,angrier and even more focused that the Cayman. And over [/quote]£[/quote]20,000 more expensive.We’d rather have a Carrera S, but not when the premium buys nine tenths of a Lotus Elise.It just isn’t
that
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<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">The Cayman is a very good car, good enough to suggest the reason it costs more than it should is to stop the 911 standing out as the worst value of any car in the current Porsche line-up (although of course you might also figure that Porsche is keen to mazimise its profits from a car that is certain to sell well).[/quote]</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">We don’t love the 911 any less, but we’ve just found one big reason not to want one quite so badly[/quote]</div>
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911 is an icon, and it took many years for it to get there - we can only hope that one day the Cayman could achive that status - for now we can only wait for people to start racing the Cayman and show its ture potential - it will be on the track where this car will either flourish or go the way of 914/944/968 - my bet is on the former judging from all the articles we have seen.
PACayman,
Thanks for taking the time to type the two stories. Good reading. I always wanted a 911 but did, as the second article states, have an 'open mind and the money to choose freely'. I still love the 911 but don't have a long Porsche history that pre-disposed me to having to have the 911.
