Jun 29, 2006 3:15:44 AM
- cookie monster
- Senior
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- Loc: US , United States
- Posts: 564, Gallery
- Registered on: Dec 8, 2005
Future Cayman Upgrades and Versions - My views & inputs pls.
Since Boxster has no turbo version, I ain't sure whether the similarly setup chassis/MR versioned Cayman will have a turbo version. If it does (good news to those but I think my 2 cents is the "wishful thinking type of deal"), the whole 987 line should have turbos so we will also see Boxster Turbo and Turbo S. I ain't sure about what the development directions of the Cayman and 987 line would be like in the next two years now that the Cayman engine/setup/parts are more or less being implemented on the 987s. Everything else being equal (there maybe magazine tests on the new versions), it is very hard to tell the performance apart except for torsional regidity (but that's always the case even for a 430 and 430 spyder or carrera s and carrera s cabrio but my feeling is that generally, people never take a cabrio seriously and will never use it as a benchmark test in a sports car back to back test). Also, a few has expressed that they had been had by PAG (matter of perspective) but we cannot deny that many think that PAG's marketing department did a great job in naming the MR coupe CAYMAN. Also pricing strategy was also ingenious and they left it to the consumers to believe what they would like to believe given the marketing info.
I personally think that Porsche needs to really start tweaking its engine to give it a bit more power. A 987 is considered to be a legacy down the 550 spyder line and the last time I looked, I thought it was a sports coupe. Now for something that's a sporTY coupe and not a sports coupe like 335i (not built from ground up as a sports car but a sedan based car), it already has >300 hp I believe 306 to be exact. The M3 was way past 300 in the last generation and now into the 400 reigns with M5/6 >504 hp, I really see that there really isn't a reason why any sports coupe (everything else being equal) should not be AT LEAST 300 hp to keep up with the competition. Even the base carrera these days is considered a bit underpowered compared to the POWER HUNGRY AMG and M series. I mean yes we can all keep saying that a Porsche handles better because it is RR, MR with better brakes... it is only a matter of time before Porsche has to face the competition head on. Although the new M3 hasn't come up, I would tend to put my vote on the M3 for lap times if we were to lap the Cayman, Boxster S and even the base carrera against the FR M3.
What I see as a logical path now (rumours I heard around town were for the cayman to be into the 300 + range most likely tweaking out the 325 hp now belonging to the carrera with the whole flagship being moved up in terms of power) would be for the Cayman in 2008 to get a minor power tweak while giving the 997 a facelift after 4 years as well as more power. Inputs? I really don't think any Porsche these days should be <300 hp and I see that in another year or two, we will see no lineup with hp with a 2 as the first letter.
Yes those that kept saying if you wanted cheap hp buy an EVO/STi or Z06 but PAG still has a reputation to maintain. Even if it is not being sucked into this power race, it does have to continue a legacy to make any flagship cars PERCEIVED as at least being FAST. Yes Corvette can outrun or be on par with a TURBO but a TURBO still has to have enough to give it a good run for its money so why can't the Cayman be into the mid 300 range right? In fact, if the next Cayman can be 355 like the Carrera S, I am going in right away to put down my money (with or without DSG and of course PDK would be perfect for HK)
I personally think that Porsche needs to really start tweaking its engine to give it a bit more power. A 987 is considered to be a legacy down the 550 spyder line and the last time I looked, I thought it was a sports coupe. Now for something that's a sporTY coupe and not a sports coupe like 335i (not built from ground up as a sports car but a sedan based car), it already has >300 hp I believe 306 to be exact. The M3 was way past 300 in the last generation and now into the 400 reigns with M5/6 >504 hp, I really see that there really isn't a reason why any sports coupe (everything else being equal) should not be AT LEAST 300 hp to keep up with the competition. Even the base carrera these days is considered a bit underpowered compared to the POWER HUNGRY AMG and M series. I mean yes we can all keep saying that a Porsche handles better because it is RR, MR with better brakes... it is only a matter of time before Porsche has to face the competition head on. Although the new M3 hasn't come up, I would tend to put my vote on the M3 for lap times if we were to lap the Cayman, Boxster S and even the base carrera against the FR M3.
What I see as a logical path now (rumours I heard around town were for the cayman to be into the 300 + range most likely tweaking out the 325 hp now belonging to the carrera with the whole flagship being moved up in terms of power) would be for the Cayman in 2008 to get a minor power tweak while giving the 997 a facelift after 4 years as well as more power. Inputs? I really don't think any Porsche these days should be <300 hp and I see that in another year or two, we will see no lineup with hp with a 2 as the first letter.
Yes those that kept saying if you wanted cheap hp buy an EVO/STi or Z06 but PAG still has a reputation to maintain. Even if it is not being sucked into this power race, it does have to continue a legacy to make any flagship cars PERCEIVED as at least being FAST. Yes Corvette can outrun or be on par with a TURBO but a TURBO still has to have enough to give it a good run for its money so why can't the Cayman be into the mid 300 range right? In fact, if the next Cayman can be 355 like the Carrera S, I am going in right away to put down my money (with or without DSG and of course PDK would be perfect for HK)
