stuttgart's 4th car: Cayman S based on boxster (!!!!)

[lemming]

from Automotive News:

"Porsche to launch Boxster-based Cayman S sports car



February 23, 2005


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Porsche long-rumored fourth vehicle line has finally been announced. Called the Cayman S, the vehicle will be a hardtop two-seat sports car based on the Boxster. Porsche says it will be available for the 2006 model year.

Positioned and priced between the 911 Carrera and the Boxster S, the Cayman will be powered by a mid-mounted 3.4- liter six-cylinder motor capable of 295 hp. Porsche also claims the Cayman's increased space utilization will make it a more practical type of sports car.

By comparison the Boxster S is powered by a 280-hp, 3.2- liter six-cylinder mid-mounted engine, while the 911 Carrera's six-cylinder rear-mounted 3.6-liter engine produces 325 hp.

The Cayman S joins the Carrera, Boxster, and Cayenne in the automaker's lineup. It derives its name from a small, nimble crocodile species called the caiman.

Spy photos published in motoring magazines showing what looked to be a Boxster coupe had elicited concerns among analysts that Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking would go back on his word not to build a car priced lower than the Boxster.

It did not give a price for the Cayman, but said it will cost more than a Boxster and less than a 911.

Generally, convertibles are priced higher than hard-tops due in part to the added mechanism needed. "

the article says it was based on a Reuters report.

there you have it. car owners rejoice. if you're not into convertibles, there is another option, and more tractable than the 911 (rear-engined is classic, but not my favorite).

[FC]

At "more than a Boxster S" it has to be 59K or higher.

That thing better get 997/S-type numbers and equal or better handling. If so, I could be interested. I hope it weighs under 2800lbs (Boxster S is 2965)

Took the wife to see an SLK350 at the MB dealer, she hated it. When I told her a Boxster S was 10K more, she said it was worth it.

The car needs to be under 60K, though.

[FC]

Best pics I've seen so far...

http://www.onlyporsche.net/content/view/123/2/

[lemming]

let's face it, it won't be anything close to a good bang for the buck.

(is the elise, though? is the z06? is the viper?)

but, it will be a modern, lightweight car with a stiff structure (no goddamn loss of rigidity because of a lame convertible top) and mid-engine based. it will likely be faster around a road course (most road courses) than a 911.

i have never liked the rear engine setup of the 911. it's intriguing and caters to the aficionado in all of us. admit it. but when it comes down to it, the best place for rotation and polar moment of inertia in mid-engined. that's why F1 cars are thusly setup.

i'd take a midengined boxster coupe or cayman S over a 911 most any day of the week.

[Plaz]

[FC]

Originally Posted by lemming

let's face it, it won't be anything close to a good bang for the buck.

(is the elise, though? is the z06? is the viper?)

but, it will be a modern, lightweight car with a stiff structure (no goddamn loss of rigidity because of a lame convertible top) and mid-engine based. it will likely be faster around a road course (most road courses) than a 911.

i have never liked the rear engine setup of the 911. it's intriguing and caters to the aficionado in all of us. admit it. but when it comes down to it, the best place for rotation and polar moment of inertia in mid-engined. that's why F1 cars are thusly setup.

i'd take a midengined boxster coupe or cayman S over a 911 most any day of the week.

Well, it's been known by many that with the same engine, the Boxster would kill a 911. People always answered the call for a Boxster Coupe by saying it would kill the 911.

It is fair to say that even with 30hp less, the Cayman will likely outperform the base 911.

What is annoying is that Porsche is setting the price strictly by performance and not by cost. The Cayman will likely cost less than a Boxster to make. As it is, the two Boxsters cost Porsche close to the same to make, yet one is 10K more expensive to buy.

They could well price this car at 55K, sell a ton of them, and make gobs of profit. By adding another 5K (maybe more), they could well be drastically limiting the number of buyers. Even uneducated consumers know they are getting ripped off by paying the same for a coupe as they could for the drop-top. To charge a hefty premium on top of that is a bad move.

Maybe the Cayman will come loaded with goodies optional on the Boxster S (full leather, sport wheel, 19" wheels, PASM, Bose sound, etc), and given how much those options tend to cost, they could well argue "we're giving you 10K worth of options standard." But we know that those options are so incredibly marked up, it really is all gravy to them.

As long as it DOES come with all sorts of non-weight-adding options, I guess the argument could be made. But of course, they probably will decontent the car instead.

So, to me, the car better have base-911 (or better) performance, and depending on the markup over the Boxster S, that many more standard options.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by mbr129

Well, it's been known by many that with the same engine, the Boxster would kill a 911. People always answered the call for a Boxster Coupe by saying it would kill the 911.

It is fair to say that even with 30hp less, the Cayman will likely outperform the base 911.

What is annoying is that Porsche is setting the price strictly by performance and not by cost. The Cayman will likely cost less than a Boxster to make. As it is, the two Boxsters cost Porsche close to the same to make, yet one is 10K more expensive to buy.

They could well price this car at 55K, sell a ton of them, and make gobs of profit. By adding another 5K (maybe more), they could well be drastically limiting the number of buyers. Even uneducated consumers know they are getting ripped off by paying the same for a coupe as they could for the drop-top. To charge a hefty premium on top of that is a bad move.

Maybe the Cayman will come loaded with goodies optional on the Boxster S (full leather, sport wheel, 19" wheels, PASM, Bose sound, etc), and given how much those options tend to cost, they could well argue "we're giving you 10K worth of options standard." But we know that those options are so incredibly marked up, it really is all gravy to them.

As long as it DOES come with all sorts of non-weight-adding options, I guess the argument could be made. But of course, they probably will decontent the car instead.

So, to me, the car better have base-911 (or better) performance, and depending on the markup over the Boxster S, that many more standard options.

one thing that Stuttgart is brilliant at is their ability to alter physics so that a rear engined car is more about it's advantages more so than disadvantages. the ability to get on the gas earlier because of favorable weight distribution (with respect to the driving wheels) is much lauded. but factory Porsche drivers who have moved on to other teams also say right away that the 911 does not handle that well compared, for example, to front engine RWDers.

so, that makes it difficult. what also makes it difficult is that the 911 not only commands the most money but also the most HP.

and it's the HP that drives most of us.