Tony said the Cayman R is a beautifully balanced car due to its mid-engine placement and its ideal weight distribution. These factors and the re-engineered chassis of the R combine to deliver a fast car that exhibits handling characteristics perfect suited to the novice.
The car is highly predictable and intuitive on the track. Because of these attributes, the driver can concentrate on honing his driving skills, vehicle placement and cornering lines rather than fighting the car for control, Tony said.
Take the 911 for example
To emphasize his point about how easy the Cayman R is to control, Tony compared it to the venerable 911, a car that defies much of what science tells us is “bad” by hanging the weight of its engine behind the rear axle.
According to Tony, the 911 is an amazing anomaly in automotive engineering. He described how a skilled driver can use the rear-weight bias of the 911 to get its front wheels to “dance” through the corners at very high speed and in complete control. In a 911, this level of precision maneuvering requires professional racing skill; such isn’t the case with the Cayman R.
I attended the launch of the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S in Santa Barbara, California, where I drove this exotic piece of machinery on an auto-cross track. The car is simply amazing but it does demand a little more from its driver when reaching its outer limits than does the Cayman R, and from this perspective, Tony’s insight is spot on.
The Cayman R everyday
For the weekend track enthusiast, the Cayman R performs as a reasonably comfortable Monday to Friday daily driver. While its thinly padded carbon-fiber racing seats are a tight squeeze for most — and awkward to settle into gracefully — they are remarkably secure and supportive from shoulder to thigh, holding the driver firmly in place, in defiance of lateral forces trying to do otherwise.
Apart from a notably firm ride, the Cayman R is a civilized beast on city streets. This vehicle does have its limitations though, such as its as tested MSRP of $86,060, and of course, no back seat. But as Tony says, “You really don’t need back seats on the track!” True — you just need money.
The car is highly predictable and intuitive on the track. Because of these attributes, the driver can concentrate on honing his driving skills, vehicle placement and cornering lines rather than fighting the car for control, Tony said.
 |
| Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com |
Take the 911 for example
To emphasize his point about how easy the Cayman R is to control, Tony compared it to the venerable 911, a car that defies much of what science tells us is “bad” by hanging the weight of its engine behind the rear axle.
According to Tony, the 911 is an amazing anomaly in automotive engineering. He described how a skilled driver can use the rear-weight bias of the 911 to get its front wheels to “dance” through the corners at very high speed and in complete control. In a 911, this level of precision maneuvering requires professional racing skill; such isn’t the case with the Cayman R.
I attended the launch of the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S in Santa Barbara, California, where I drove this exotic piece of machinery on an auto-cross track. The car is simply amazing but it does demand a little more from its driver when reaching its outer limits than does the Cayman R, and from this perspective, Tony’s insight is spot on.
The Cayman R everyday
For the weekend track enthusiast, the Cayman R performs as a reasonably comfortable Monday to Friday daily driver. While its thinly padded carbon-fiber racing seats are a tight squeeze for most — and awkward to settle into gracefully — they are remarkably secure and supportive from shoulder to thigh, holding the driver firmly in place, in defiance of lateral forces trying to do otherwise.
Apart from a notably firm ride, the Cayman R is a civilized beast on city streets. This vehicle does have its limitations though, such as its as tested MSRP of $86,060, and of course, no back seat. But as Tony says, “You really don’t need back seats on the track!” True — you just need money.
 |
| Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com |
Article Gallery