Cayman - the new 911...? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

I've heard a lot of people, including employees at OPC's, refer to the 981 as being what the 911 should have been!! I have a Cayman GTS on order and must say whilst loving everything 911 the newer models just aren't for me. Whilst the 981 isn't that much smaller it just seems more of a sports car to me. Discuss.....

Not until the 911 officially dies, no. But I feel that Porsche is gradually morphing the 911 into that car that - ironically - was introduced 30 years ago to replace it: the 928.

The 911 is dead (to me) The Cayman will always be a Cayman (which is a great handling sports car) but its not and never will be a replacement for the 911. I think in years to come, people will move back to the old 911's and the air-cooled ones to get their rear-engined thrills.

V8KSN said: The 911 is dead (to me) The Cayman will always be a Cayman (which is a great handling sports car) but its not and never will be a replacement for the 911. I think in years to come, people will move back to the old 911's and the air-cooled ones to get their rear-engined thrills. What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? Excellent

I wonder if one day we will look back and think of the 981 Cayman as the last naturally aspirated flat six Cayman in a similar way to a 993 being the last of the air cooled 911's.

GreatPretender said: V8KSN said: The 911 is dead (to me) The Cayman will always be a Cayman (which is a great handling sports car) but its not and never will be a replacement for the 911. I think in years to come, people will move back to the old 911's and the air-cooled ones to get their rear-engined thrills. What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? Excellent Thats right! Roll Up! Roll Up! Get em while you can kids they wont be here for long

paralla said: I wonder if one day we will look back and think of the 981 Cayman as the last naturally aspirated flat six Cayman in a similar way to a 993 being the last of the air cooled 911's. Quite possibly. The rumored four-pot will be turbo'd, but wont be a Turbo and Porsche has already hit us with the turbo'd Macan S and the err, Macan Turbo. Ergo, the next 911/Cayman/Anything else that Porsche's marketeers dream up over their Mochachinos, will be turbo-charged. Or battery powered. Great, eh?

V8KSN said: GreatPretender said: V8KSN said: The 911 is dead (to me) The Cayman will always be a Cayman (which is a great handling sports car) but its not and never will be a replacement for the 911. I think in years to come, people will move back to the old 911's and the air-cooled ones to get their rear-engined thrills. What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? Excellent Thats right! Roll Up! Roll Up! Get em while you can kids they wont be here for long Last I heard, you couldn't get a decent MK1 GT3 for anything less than £70k now.

Budweiser said: I've heard a lot of people, including employees at OPC's, refer to the 981 as being what the 911 should have been!! I have a Cayman GTS on order and must say whilst loving everything 911 the newer models just aren't for me. Whilst the 981 isn't that much smaller it just seems more of a sports car to me. Discuss..... Is the 981 now available with rear seats then????

GreatPretender said: What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? The new 964 IMO.

anonymous said: [redacted] As am I. The Cayman isn't the new 911 because it doesn't have 50 years of heritage behind it; the 911 is a classic, although the Cayman may be a very capable sports car.

IknowJoseph said: The Cayman isn't the new 911 because it doesn't have 50 years of heritage behind it; the 911 is a classic, although the Cayman may be a very capable sports car. The Cayman could do with a few foibles to make it more desirable.

Not sure how much of that matters. I like 996s. I'm in the minority. I'm with you, loved my C4S...

I think the 911 has out grown itself. The Cayman is the size and usability (rear seats aside) that the 911 historically was. It amuses me that porche's top level racing cars and super cars (apart from the 959) were / are mid engined, but the top end production cars are determinedly rear engined. If Cayman and 911 had equal engine and chassis development, would the Cayman still be runner up? On a separate note, the first 981 I saw, I thought "nice looking 911"!

Mermaid said: GreatPretender said: What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? The new 964 IMO. What rubbish

Wozy68 said: Mermaid said: GreatPretender said: What's that you say? The 997 will be regarded as the last real 911 and values - especially GT cars - will simply go mental? The new 964 IMO. What rubbish Revisit this thread in a few years.

paralla said: I wonder if one day we will look back and think of the 981 Cayman as the last naturally aspirated flat six Cayman in a similar way to a 993 being the last of the air cooled 911's. I think that has already happened with the previous Cayman; the last truly analogue feeling sports car before the evolution of cars (of all brands) that have switched over the computer controlled everything! I certainly miss the analogue feel of my CR, and can only hope that some day, manufacturers can return that kind of feel. I suspect Porsche will, as whilst the latest 911 is outstanding, I think Porsche know they have taken the tech too far.

There is a cohesion to the way this car goes down the road that is rare, if not unique in my experience. There are 911 fans who claim that the bigger car is still the better one to drive and that the Cayman remains its lieutenant, no matter what form it might take or how good it may be. But I am no longer one of these people. The Cayman GTS feels connected and compact and responsive to your inputs – be that to its throttle, steering, brake pedal or gearlever, which slices quite beautifully up and down its six-speed gate – in a way that a 911 no longer does. The last time a regular 911 felt this alive, this keyed in to the part of one’s brain that revels in the simple art of driving, was a very long time ago. Indeed, you need to look to some fairly special versions of the 911 to match the satisfaction that the GTS Cayman provides, to the second generation 996 GT3, perhaps, or the 997 GT3 RS, and more recently the current GT3. And this puts the Cayman GTS in very high company, and me right out on a limb among Porsche’s commentators, some of whom will take great offence at such heresy towards the sacred 911. But, for me, that’s how extraordinarily good the Cayman GTS, with sports chassis, manual gearbox, carbon-ceramic brakes and sports seats, feels. Which is some statement, but then the Cayman GTS really is some car. Steve Sutcliffe. Autocar

steve Sutcliffe's opinions I very much respect...

I think the Cayman has always been a better resolved car than the 911 and that's the reason why they won't stick the larger engines or the turbo in it.

Currently in the lucky position to have a pristine Cayman R and and even more immaculate 10,000 mile 997.1 GT3. Both are unique. Both have different characters. Both are real drivers cars. But each has it's own personality. I guess it is like having 2 children - you love them equally but they are completely different. Neither is better than the other - they are just different. IMHO.

R1nur said: Currently in the lucky position to have a pristine Cayman R and and even more immaculate 10,000 mile 997.1 GT3. Both are unique. Both have different characters. Both are real drivers cars. But each has it's own personality. I guess it is like having 2 children - you love them equally but they are completely different. Neither is better than the other - they are just different. IMHO. Fair point well made...

anonymous said: [redacted] Maybe not but don't you think they could sell a Cayman Turbo S for about 100k?

981 is IMO one of the most astounding sportscars of all time. That you can get an S on the road from £50k is amazing value. I've never owned a 911 and I've never really aspired to one either. The mid-engine balance of 981 is just sublime. In contrast I have never warmed to the "floaty" feel of the front of the 911s I've driven.