I was sure that I have gotten the bug of wanting a sports car out of my system. I am just not one that want to renew my vehicle every few years. My newest is 12 years old. Recently I came across a few videos on how Porsche factory building their sports cars, including the venerable 911, Boxster, and Caymen series. Then there is the 911R special edition that under 1000 was built. These video really roused my desire for a Porsche.
the design, ergonomics, and ambiance in the Cayman are very similar to the costlier 911
I really like this very restrained interior design; with the additional leather option it looks even better with the removal of the bits of silver on the dash and the center console
The European delivery at one of the factory is a very enticing bonus. At this point all is very preliminary. I want something that can be used as daily driver so the Cayman S price point is preferred over the more expensive 911. Though a Cayman GT4 is my dream car. The GT4 is a special edition with limited production. There is no telling as when the company will decide on a run, and there are allocated to waiting lists internationally.
One thing that is a shock to me is these are not small cars. Checking the dimensions one would barely fit in the garage bay. While the Mini Cooper is 29 inches shorter and 12 inches shorter it is only 310 pounds lighter than the Cayman S. The horsepower to weight ration difference is day and night. Checking the dimensions and weights of the 911s from air cooled to current water cooled engines they remains very comparable in size as well as weight over the decades. This says a lot about the engineering given the newer generations have much higher performance as wall as vast arrays of safety equipment. The same cannot be said with a lot of other sports cars.
I have been playing with the Porsche vehicle configuration webtool to see what the final prices are. Here in Portland, there is the annual auto show this week. I have decided not to go as there are very few vehicles nowadays that stir my emotions. The last time I visited was circa 1992 and bought a gen 1 Miata MX5 shortly after.
I have been playing with the Porsche vehicle configuration webtool to see what the final prices are. Here in Portland, there is the annual auto show this week. I have decided not to go as there are very few vehicles nowadays that stir my emotions. The last time I visited was circa 1992 and bought a gen 1 Miata MX5 shortly after.
Ever think of a Tesla Roadster? Burning gasoline is so last century. The Roadsters electrical complexity would be a great playground for you.
ReplyDeleteFunny you ask. All electric is not my cup of tea, not yet, and likely for a very long time. I do not want to have to shell out big bucks for batteries that dies long before my ownership of the car. I know the short life of these batteries all too well from notebook ownership. I would entertain a high performance hybrid. I happen to go price a Tesla S yesterday to see how ridiculous the price is. Tesla hold very little lead, if at all, over the conventional car makers in the electric car technology. BMW, Porsche, VW, Toyota, Nissan and the like can easily give the company some serious competition when the time is ripe. Until hydrogen or fuel cell technology become more mature I am sticking with ICE.
DeleteI should add that the huge weight of all electric is a non-starter as a performance car. The Tesla S starts at 5000 pounds vs a Porsche's 3000. You can make electric car accelerates fast but handling is a major concession.
DeleteOther on a race track, when does anyone push a car anywhere near it's handling limits? You accelerate from a stop frequently and and also to pass. We both have Mini Coopers, I would love to get a electric performance version since I don't need any larger car. Signed up for a model 3 in the first hour.
ReplyDeleteThe battery weight is inches off the ground and centered in the car, not like a 911 with a heavy engine hanging out the back.
Rob. Glad to hear you signed up on a Tesla 3. I do concur EV can performs quite well with very low CG. My neighbor bought a 5.
DeleteI have another neighbor that cycles his cars like ladies' shoes. He has own few super cars and recently also added a BMW i3. In truth I love my Cooper S on the road or on track. It is a ton of fun still. Unimpressed with the later gens of Mini that grew bigger each year and more garish. I just really fancy for a uncompromising 2-seater. The more I research on the new 4-cylinder B4 engine, the more I am convinced the down-sized engines of the 2017 facelift Cayman and Boxster are better than their 6-cylinder predecessors.
P85D does 8:50 on the Nurburgring, Cayman S 8:25 so only 25 secs slower. I bet a 100DL would match or beat the Cayman S. Cayman is mid-engined so better balanced than a 911.
ReplyDeleteWhile Cayman is mid engine and the 911 have to be engineered hard to make up for the rear engine handicap we can rest assured that the company will continue to insure 911 performance is higher than the cheaper Cayman/Boxster.
DeleteHere are a couple of excellent articles that debunk the myth of 50/50 weight distribution. Of course the most frequent overlooked is polar moment, but there are a lot of other factors.
Deletehttp://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-mid-vs-rear-engine-debate-porsche-cayman-r-vs-911-gt3-feature
http://automotivethinker.com/chassis/stop-and-weight-a-5050-weight-distribution-is-not-optimal/