Thanks for finding the specs, EGainer, though I don't quite understand why you say you think the Cayman S will be faster because the Boxster S goes from 0 to 60 in 5.2s when the Cayman S needs 5.4s.

Also, the reason I question the higher price of the Cayman is because the convertible version of any car usually costs more than the coupe version due to the costs of the top-down mechanism. Sure in this case the coupe offers an extra 15hp, but that marginal horsepower advantage doesn't seem to justify a higher price over the convertible version IMHO.

 

There are some angles on the cayman that are a little odd especially the flat rear end which I am not liking too much. Many enthusiasts were hoping that Porsche would give us a hard top Boxster that was lighter, faster, and more nimble and would surely be less expensive then the convertable. I was dissapointed when I heard that the hardtop Boxster would not only cost more then the Boxster S convertable but most likely more then a base 911. I think this was a marketing trick by Porsche to just give the car a different name and add some more horsepower so people will think they are getting a different higher end car and will pay alot more then a supposidly more diserable Boxster convertable. I have never really been a fan of Boxsters and always thought they were more of a 6/10 911 but a hardtop "Boxster" that is less expensive and a little faster then the convertable would spark my interest.

 

manufacturers like to be conservative in their accelaration claims.

 

I think that it looks AWESOME in the first two pics but I'm not really feeling the third pic. I think that with tint and a cooler spoiler it would look stunning.

 

Porsche is incredible conservative with their numbers...I agree, photochop that badboy with a better front and rear spoiler with sideskirts and its a 100x better..oh yea, can't forget better wheels.


This car will be a performer since its not a covertible retro'd to a hardtop...midengine with decent power...lets just hope Porsche doesn't put an anchor on the end of it by ballooning the weight.

 

Not bad, but I like the 997 more

But in terms of looks, I always prefer the Boxster more than any 911 convertible.

 

that's good, coz' you are liking a model that's cheaper!

 

A lil e-mail I got ]





It's getting closer. Each move deliberate. Stirring the senses. Now is your chance for an exclusive first look at the latest addition to the Porsche family, the Cayman S.

Explore the classic lines of the new coupe. Zoom in on details like the front air inlets exposing the round fog lights resting just below asymmetrical headlights. Sweep around the broad shoulders of the muscular body. Examine the taut, sculpted back, revealing a glimpse of the twin branch exhaust system, a synthesis of form and function.

Discover the power of the Cayman S; a newly developed 3.4-liter mid-mounted, flat-six aluminum engine and fine-tuned, six-speed manual transmission. The result? An impressive 295 hp with a top track speed of 171 mph.

The Cayman S does not compromise, but commands attention - a trait select few are born with. This coupe will push your senses to their limits, proving that the rebel Cayman S is the next generation of Porsche. To explore more, visit porscheusa.com and see the new coupe. It's stirring things up

http://ws.us.porsche.com/cayman/pcna.asp?

 

Sexy.....need I say more.

 

2006 PORSCHE CAYMAN S
ON SALE: 2006
BASE PRICE: $60,000 (est.)
POWERTRAIN: 3.4-liter, 295-hp, 255-lb-ft H6; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 2948 lbs
0 to 62 MPH: 5.4 seconds (mfr.)

Porsche’s new Cayman S, revealed here officially for the first time, is poised to raise the German company’s already haughty standing at the sharp end of the sports car ranks.

The 3.4-liter 295-hp flat-six-powered coupe is scheduled to make its first public appearance at September’s Frankfurt motor show before reaching North American showrooms early next year.

The two-seat Cayman S slots into the Porsche line slightly above the new 2005 Boxster, and in doing so it bucks Porsche tradition of pitching coupes at a lower price point than their more complex convertible siblings. It’s a strategy that has required Porsche to provide the Cayman S with greater firepower than the 3.2-liter 280-hp Boxster S simply to justify its positioning. At the same time, Porsche has been careful not to let its latest model—named after the caiman breed of crocodile found in Central and South America (rather than the Caribbean tax haven)—encroach on the territory ruled by the 3.6-liter 325-hp 911 Carrera.

In both power and straight-line performance, the Cayman S remains a respectable distance from its more expensive Carrera stablemate, although if word from the Stuttgart grapevine proves correct, Porsche is already considering a racing-focused stripped-down Clubsport version of the Cayman, possibly to receive the historical GTS designation. A less expensive base Cayman is also planned, running either the 3.2-liter from the Boxster S, or a 3.0-liter 260-hp flat six.

In a move aimed at trimming development costs and streamlining production, the Cayman shares up to 40 percent of its components, including a good deal of its exterior, with the second-generation Boxster. The two cars share the same hood, headlights, front guards, doors and taillights.

However, a close inspection reveals some interesting styling changes that, from certain angles at least, help give the Cayman its own distinctive visual character. Inspiration for many of the changes comes from Porsche’s classic 904, which evolved from the company’s racing activities to become a road car in 1965.

Up front is a modified bumper with larger air ducts below each headlight. The fog lamps are housed in round units rather than the rectangular ones found on the Boxster. The windshield shares the same angle as its open-top Boxster sibling, but extends farther up into the roof. The roof itself is heavily curved and not unlike that found on earlier incarnations of the 911. Small fixed windows are incorporated behind the tailing edge of the doors, while the air ducts that cool the mid-mounted engine receive a different graphic with vertical strakes. The rear hatch opens remotely via a button on the key fob to offer newfound levels of practicality for a Porsche sports car. It can be lifted to a nominal 50-degree angle or extended through to 68 degrees.

The Cayman is slightly longer than the Boxster, all concentrated in the rear overhang. The heavy curvature in the roof also increases height over the Boxster, but width remains the same. The addition of the fixed roof has brought added rigidity—and insiders say Cayman is even stiffer than the new 911 Carrera.

The car is more aerodynamic than a Boxster, and to regain rear-end downforce lost through the incorporation of the sloping rear hatch, Porsche has provided the Cayman S with a unique rear spoiler assembly that deploys hydraulically at speeds greater than 75 mph.

The steel-bodied Cayman tips the scales at 2948 pounds, just 11 pounds more than the Boxster, much of the increase to do with the packaging of the hatchback. In comparative terms, however, the new Porsche can be considered somewhat of a lightweight in the sports coupe segment. Nissan’s 350Z weighs in at 3146 pounds and the all-wheel-drive Audi TT at 3300 pounds.

As with the exterior, the Cayman’s interior borrows heavily from the Boxster. The dashboard, instruments, switchgear, seats and door trim are identical. The creation of a parcel shelf in the space behind the seats boosts rear trunk capacity. Combined with the front trunk, Cayman offers what Porsche describes as class-leading cargo space.

Powering the Cayman S is a newly developed version of Porsche’s horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, the same unit in the Boxster S, only with a slight increase in bore to push displacement to 3.4 liters. Also included is Porsche’s Variocam Plus system, as used on the 911. It employs electrohydraulic tappets to constantly vary the timing and lift on both the inlet and exhaust valves. As a result, power swells to 295 hp at 6250 rpm, a 15-hp increase over the Boxster S’s 3.2-liter engine. Torque peaks at 255 lb-ft on a powerband that stretches from 4200 rpm to 6000 rpm.

As with the Boxster, power is fed to the rear wheels via either a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional five-speed Tiptronic automatic featuring steering-wheel shift buttons. Word out of Stuttgart indicates Porsche will begin offering a new double-shift gearbox similar to Volkswagen’s unit on its latest model, though according to AutoWeek sources, it isn’t likely to become available for another 18 months. In manual guise, Porsche says the Cayman S hits 62 mph in 5.4 seconds, and tops out at 171 mph.

Underpinning the new car is a lightly reworked version of the Boxster’s MacPherson strut suspension. The two cars also ride on the same wheelbase and share the same track measurements. Porsche’s chassis engineers have gone over every component in a bid to provide the Cayman S with its own unique handling character. Changes are fairly straightforward: firmer springs, stiffer dampers, larger diameter antiroll bars and more resilient bushings. The threshold for the standard four-channel ABS antilock and PSM (Porsche stability management) systems has been extended slightly.

As a measure of the Cayman’s ability, Porsche claims a prototype version lapped the Nürburgring’s North Loop in eight minutes and 11 seconds in the hands of former rally ace Walter Röhrl—an improvement of seven seconds over the time he recorded in a similar specification Boxster S late last year, and four seconds faster than the 911 Carrera.

 

Now this gives the Cayman S some good credibility.

 

Wow starting at $60,000, just a little over the Boxer!. I have always liked porsches...but they made a race car called the "Moby Dick" which I wasn't to crazy for the looks, or the name.

 

 

DAMN SICK...JUST BUY A PORSCHE ALREADY!

I wonder if this Cayman will eventually become the 911 replacement...a midengine (well-balanced) setup is so much better all the way around.

It really makes one wonder what the 998 has to offer now...Porsche is running out of tricks that the flat-6 can offer. They will eventually have to put an 8 in there somewhere.

 

If it does I would consider switching over to Porsche myself. I'm much more a mid engine fan than a rear engine fan. Porsche should really consider making their mid engine platform (Not counting the Carrera S) their top line.