Interesting - Latest pics of Cayman >>

Hmmm...interesting. Still hate the name. Autoweek spy shots

I'm having real issues with this car. It's a great concept, but the Boxster and 997 are not THAT far apart in terms of price and performance. Not only that, but the drivetrain layout means that if Porsche wanted to, they could make this car into a serious 997-killer. But they won't, because they don't want to steal sales from the 997. Which means this car may never realize its true potential. If that's the case, why bother? Just make a Boxster coupe, call it a Boxster Coupe, and be done with it.

Thanks for that link...like I predicted on my first post on the base C7 (I hate the name to even mention it), bettered the 997 at nurburgring , the clubsport version might well be my next porsche. Now, if I could convince my better half to keep the C4S for a daily drive and buy the C7c.s....that would be way too cool. I love this car.

It is already a 997 killer with the base 295hp. motor, the 305 hp. clubsport version will better it. This would surely mean a decline in 997 sales, .... and I think porsche is unable to better the performance of the 997 without compromising the spirit of what a 911 ought to be (a F-6 rear engine layout, which it looks like has been stretched to it's max. potential), and still keep it in the current price range (this is the key phrase). This is my prediction, the cayman will be the one that will stay in the current price range of a 911, the future of 911 has to be light weight construction and further refinement, pushing it's price much higher than what we enjoy today. The next 911 will smoke the cayman in perforamnce (it has to), and will be lot more expensive.

Exactly!

If it has more room on the interior than the boxster, I would be interested. Does the new boxster have more room in than that of previous years? I did not fit in the boxster. Too tall. Chad

Where did you read that the C7 bettered the 997 at the 'ring? Stock form, I doubt that the C7 will beat any 911 of simillar year. Porsche just won't allow it. They will design the C7 not just with a weaker engine, but with suspension components and other designs that will assure it will NOT best PAG's beloved and profitable 911. Witness the 928's, the original V8 front-engined Porsche everyone said was the 911 killer. The 928S was wonderful, but the 911 got even better. A C7 modified with aftermarket parts, that's a different story. But in stock form, no way. BTW, I'll be the bad guy here. I DON"T like how the C7 looks. I like what it promises, but if it looks like those spy shots....man, that's UGLY.

Actually I'm beginning to prefer this one..... 4 doors, V8, luggage space...... I wonder will they make an estate/brake/kombi version.

The print version of this weeks Autoweek is where it says the Cayman bested the Carrera S laptimes. While I'm not a big fan of the design [looks a bit too Karmenn Ghia for my taste], I don't have a problem with the concept for Porsche [a club racer that's substantially cheaper than the GT3]. I believe it will cannabalize some 911 sales but not as much as we may think. Performance vs. price alone is not a deciding factor for the typical buyer. If that were the case - we'd all be driving Z06 Corvettes!!! A V8 Ferrari [360] can run a track faster than a V12 Ferrari [575] while costing substantially less and yet they both have their place and buyers. For a club racer today - I'd be buying a Z06 or a Lotus Elise. Both of which hold their own performancewise vs. the 911 and can be had for less than the Caymen.

At the right price - I'm all over it.

The price estimates for the Panamera (much better name that) are 100,000 Euro for the standard and 150,000 Euro for the turbo in automotorundsport magazine this week. Remember euros are bigger than dollars !!

I don't think anyone who considers an elise/C7c.s will even consider a Z06...they are different types of cars. even if performance and price were a factor, all of us WILL NOT be driving a Z06...granted the Z06 will eat the base 911 alive on any track...but for those who care how it does...ie. finesse vs. pure brute force...porsche is the only choice. How ever, I'll agree that the elise be a great choice for a club racer who can fit into one...but if you can afford the cayman you'd have a car with equal finesse (an educated guess) and more power...

On the same link posted by chads996, scroll down to related articles, the first article talks about the C7 in greater detail...

WHAT!....UGLY! ....come on man, those are just the spy shots....the front end is getting the current boxter lights and the front fender will be a minature version of our C4S, with a coupe roof line, it's going to look great. The spy shots do no justice... Palting, you wouldn't care how it looks like, when one zooms by you in a couple of years in a track near us.

Naaah. Even from the butt it looks butt-ugly . But, I guess if it really outruns our C4S, I could get to like it . Which brings us to the next point. Autoweek quote "Nurburgring tests have seen prototypes besting the 911 Carrera�s lap time of 8 minutes, 15 seconds". That explains it. That was Walter Rohl's "getting to know you" run, not a performance run. Pano has the article. In it, Rohl is quoted as saying he was surprised he did even that well when his techs told him his time, since he was taking it easy getting to know the car. He could have knocked off better times if he tried.

Exactly my point. Price vs. Performance is NOT the only decision factor.

The more I see and read the more I salivate about the possibilities of this car. Of course the finalized version and the real world driving experience will be the determining factor, but on paper and photos it looks very promising (crappy name notwithstanding). IMHO I am not sure Porsche is too concerned about cannibalization of 911 sales (to a point). Porsche purchases are not about raw numbers and figures to the majority of buyers. There are still a large portion of Porsche buyers that buy the cars for the prestige and the name. These buyers will not be effected by this car. The 911 will still be the car for these people. Also, considering that the 911 cab is historically the best selling 911 variant�this car will not hurt sales of this 911 at all. A few base 911 coupe sales may suffer but there are still people who want the awd drive versions (and from the rumors there will be no Cayman4) the turbo versions and the wide body C4s type of cars. None of these cars will likely be effected by coupe/hatchback with a mid-engine design Porsche will continue to sell in sufficient numbers of the various 911s for Porsche to maintain its profits. Realize also that the Cayenne is the best selling Porsche right now. I think it is interesting that the article mentions that the Cayman may be the basis for extensive motor sports activities.

Jeeva and VS1, I beg to differ. I have an Elise (190R) and will probably get a ZO6. The finesse is more the driver than the car. The Elise and 996 both understeer on corner entry, the Corvette does not. Just because a car has tons of torque doesn't mean it's crude. I also have a 1953 570hp Kurtis. Now that car is crude, with solid front and rear axles. On the other hand, since it will only corner sideways, it requires quite a bit of finesse. You could jump from and Elise to a Porsche to the Kurtis and enjoy all 3. On street tires, the Elise is more like the Kurtis, in that it's sideways any time you take your foot off the gas in a corner. We Porsche owners tend to be judgemental of other cars. It's probably safer to accept that all cars are compromises (including Porsches), and in some areas, the competitors have not made compromises. I'm glad to see Porsche introduce the Caymen. It is a welcome step back toward affordable performance. AS

The Opel was a formidable car . . . . . and I appreciate all the comments on the performance. But isn't a Porsche supposed to reflect a totally cool style too? Not the Cayman.

I don't think the article is entirely accurate...heard from the 997 board from someone who went for a porsche focus group study on this car....to paraphrase him 'don't believe evrything you read", and as they are sworn to secrecy, no further details. So, all this is just speculations...DAMN!

With you on this one Jeeva.....I just plan to wait until official pics are released and the car is unveiled. The specualtion is nerveracking since everybody has their perfect image of what the car SHOULD be not what it WILL be. I will concede there have been some great photoshops (ie, the one with CGT style lights). Until then, I will just continue to enjoy my ride both on and off the track.