Is Porsche still a sportscar manufacturer?
With a brand-new base-level Porsche 911 costing in excess of £110,000 and almost being as hard to purchase as a 911 GT3, there is a real risk that the Porsche 911 – a car defined by its ubiquity versus other sports cars – is becoming a rarefied thing.
The Boxster and Cayman still exist, but now comfortably in their own realm; both are special cars designed for grownups. Porsche’s fear of the dynamic potential of the Boxster/Cayman’s mid-engined sensibilities usurping the 911 being put to rest by the existence of the Cayman GT4 RS, and we are all the more thankful for its existence.
But, what if we wind back the clock 18 years to the first ever Porsche Cayman: the 987.
Little more than a Boxster with a proper roof, the 987 Cayman was, to the 911 of the time, what the Porsche Macan is now to the Porsche Cayenne. A cheaper, more accessible vehicle of similar DNA, design and purpose, but lacking that final dusting of power and prestige of the top of the line’r.
Back in 2005, the 987 Cayman was revealed in ‘S’ trim, which was initially the only version, but was soon followed by a base Cayman in 2006.
The 987-generation Cayman S features a 3.4 Litre flat-6 (itself an enlarged version of the 3.2 Litre engine found in the early versions of the 987-generation Boxster S) mated to the cylinder heads used on the 3.8 Litre flat-6 of 997-generation 911 Carrera S. This means 291 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a kerb weight of approximately 1340kg.
Ironically, in some corners of the internet there is a group of maligned individuals that are mourning the loss of the ‘simple sportscar’ in seeming perpetuity. They howl at the moon like forlorn wolves, cursing increasingly complicated new cars, the rise of electric vehicles and whining, “where have all the manual transmissions gooooooone?”
Yet the 987 Cayman is the simple sportscar. You run down the checklist of nice things for a sportscar to have and the Cayman has them all. Characterful, naturally-aspirated engine? Check. Relatively low kerb weight? Check. Hydraulic steering and manual transmission? Check and Check. Involving driving dynamics? Check.
However, in 2023, we are obsessed with raw speed as it remains the easiest metric by which a car manufacturer can define progress.
In comparison, speed is probably the thing the 987 Cayman S does least well and it just doesn’t matter. It’s fast enough. Thanks to a relatively brawny engine, the torque from that 3.4 Litre pulls the car along with little effort from relatively small throttle openings. There’s a wonderful building surge that you only experience in a naturally aspirated car, as the torque works hard to get you going, and the powerband rises to match the torque then there’s that sweet handoff where the hardworking torque passes the baton to horsepower, the cams change, and you race towards the redline.
Porsche discourse has been dominated recently by the 9,000rpm screamers that are found in the GT3/RS and the GT4 RS. The internet will tell you no other flat-6 is worth it compared to these, but in isolation, any Porsche flat-6 is a work of art. They sound brilliant and are soulful, captivating things. The Cayman’s 3.4 Litre does its work with enthusiasm and sharpness and this, combined with a sweet manual gearchange, makes the 987 Cayman S a joy to drive.
The transmission is another feather in the Cayman’ s hat. The change is accurate, and the throw is about the right length without feeling contrived. The clutch is on the heavy side, and needs working properly to finesse a gear change. Try and half-arse it, and the Cayman will still shift, but the engine gives you a little urge to up your game, the throttle bodies hwuah-ing to indicate you’ve opened the accelerator a little too early. Take your time and the Cayman settles down and works nicely. Downshifting is a doddle, with the engine’s responsiveness and Porsche’s long, floor hinged accelerator pedal making rev-matching on downshifts easy as you’d like.
This gearbox and the engine work in synchronisation, helping the Cayman S to make light work of any road. Yes, the gearing is a little long, but work the car and get into the revs and the Cayman is an easy car to maintain speed and momentum with. The fact it isn’t massively fast isn’t an issue as it means less time on the brakes and it becomes easier to get into a flow.
How does the chassis stick up after all these years? Thankfully, very well. A simple three-spoke steering wheel greets you inside the Cayman and that tells you all you need to know. The steering wheel is for steering, not trying to juggle phone calls, fiddle with the radio or to adjust the cruise control. Porsche’s dedication to simplicity extends to the steering itself. A hydraulic rack that is confidence inspiring and accurate. The steering weights up nicely and it gives you the ability to place the Cayman anywhere on the road with immediacy, which is a real strength on B-roads that can throw up unexpected potholes and other debris. The front axle has plenty of grip and the ability to feed in more steering lock on fast, tight corners without inducing understeer is really encouraging. When it comes to stopping, the brakes are decent. The pedal feel is strong, if a little spongy at first application, but modulation remains easy and stopping power is good too.
And there we have it. The 987 Cayman S is not only a great sportscar, it is still a worthy driving machine to this day. Its simplicity is the key to its charm and it’s a car you think about quite a while after you drive it. Try and avoid thinking about headline figures, otherwise you will be disappointed with the Cayman’s lack of outright speed, but drive and feel what the car is doing and it all makes sense.
We’ve come 18 years since the first Porsche Cayman, and if control quality and driver involvement are instead the metrics we use to define progress, then I don’t think we’ve gone very far since.
Kerbside 