The Best Porsche On Offer
by David Finlay (12 Oct 06)

Over the years I have driven a large number of Porsches for relatively short periods, and I have enjoyed most of them. In none of those cases, though, have I ever thought, "Yes, I really want this car and I'd like to keep it." The cars have been fun, but I have never wanted to live with any of them. The Cayman is different. I really like the Cayman. This is a car I would like to own when I grow up.

Long-standing enthusiasts might find this puzzling. Eyebrows may be raised, and perhaps the hint of a sneer will darken the well-groomed features of those who feel that the Cayman is not quite a true Porsche.

This is, after all, the budget option, the cheapest new hardtop Porsche you can buy. In standard form it costs a mere £36,220 (though if you want to spend more money on it there is plenty of scope to do so), and its 245bhp 2.7-litre flat-six engine is the least powerful in the Porsche repertoire. A top speed of 160mph and 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds may seem quick, but virtually ever other sports car built in Stuttgart is substantially quicker still.

Nevertheless, the Cayman is better than all of them. Like its big brother, the 295bhp Cayman S, and like the open-topped Boxster, it scores over the classic 911 in that its engine is mounted ahead of the rear wheels rather than behind them. All these cars use flat-six engines, but in the case of the 911 the benefits of the resulting low centre of gravity are entirely masked by the fact that the unit is simply in the wrong place.

Combine the boxer layout with the mid-engined positioning, though, and you are already halfway towards achieving a car that handles superbly. This is why the 911 - for all its drama, history, desirability and so on - needs so much more power than the Boxster or Cayman to offer a comparably interesting driving experience.

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