Sports Car Driven

In mid 2005 I started reading reports of a new Porsche called the Cayman. The only details I had were photos of a camouflaged test mule and a sound clip on Porsche.com. I was giddy.

A refundable deposit and six months later I picked up the car. I have kept everything on it since.

From the outside the car is stunning. Not at first, but when you throw some 19 inch, polished, HRE wheels on it, the car becomes exotic. It’s amazing what wheels can do for a Porsche.

On the inside, the car is well crafted and bigger than you’d expect.

Everything clicks and turns like it should. Even when there is plastic, it doesn’t stick out as being cheap. The only thing I’d fix is the plastic on the front of the gear shift. For $70k I was expecting my hand to fall on something finer. Other than that, it feels just like a sports car should: Thick, stitched steering wheel with notches at the perfect spot for your thumbs. The low-slung seat is a snug fit and feels fine even after several hours.

The navigation on a Lexus/Toyota is better. The nav. seems to get you on the destination street as fast as possible, even if there are miles of freeway left.

Note to prospective Porsche owners, be prepared to be nickel and dimed to death. Click here to see the options list.

To be honest, it is frustrating. I can’t think of many $60,000 passenger cars that don’t have these options standard. Go price out an MZ4 coupe. There are a total of 6 options, not including color choices.

The Cayman has 53 options to choose from. If you want to add all the options for different interior trims, like leather, carbon fiber, etc., there are 151 options (I counted!) and you can easily option a Cayman into the six figures. If you want full leather, including the fuse box cover, that’ll be $13 grand. Dude, like seriously, how does a $60,000 car not have automatic climate control???

So, for nearly $70,000 I got a cool car that still has manual adjustments on the seats. After two years I admit it’s all completely worth it. I have experience in a ‘95 Cabriolet, a ‘96 Turbo and a 2003 350Z. This car is the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s faster that the Cabriolet, more nimble than the Turbo and hugely more refined that the Z. Is it worth $70k? No, it’s not. Is it $35,000 better than a Nissan 350Z? No, it’s not. A similar BMW MZ4 costs $15 grand less and should beat you to 60 mph, but it’s like comparing Ruth’s Chris Steak House to Outback. You know that Ruth’s Chris is overpriced and paying a la carte sucks, but it’s the price you have to pay for perfection. If you have the money to spend, perfection tastes better, but if you don’t, you can get 9/10ths the pleasure for much, much less.

The 350Z was an engine with a car. The Turbo is a weapon. It’s tough to take quick trips to the store in a 500 horsepower, 3600 lbs. Porsche Turbo. That’s like taking an F-18 Hornet for a romantic flight up the coast.

The Cayman is a scalpel. It’s a finely crafted tool that will remain fun, smooth and fast for years to come. Every time you tip into the throttle the car begs for more. The mid-engine layout makes for the most nimble car I’ve ever been in and the steering is true Porsche and the epitome of sports car precision. The 300 horsepower layout is not only quick and responsive, but sounds like….well…picture Heidi Klum and then imagine what she’d sound like if she were a car. That’s what a Cayman sounds like : )

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It has been enjoyable everyday for the past 730 days. If you have means, buy one and you’ll never regret it.

P.S. I would not recommend the PASM unless you plan on tracking the car.

P.P.S. On a lazy Saturday in June of 2005 my roommate and I went to the dealer to get some info on the car. When we entered the dealership, looking to buy the same car, the dealer asked if my roommate and I were together, as if we were shopping together, we replied “yes.” After more information was gathered we decided to place a refundable deposit.

We started filling out paperwork. My roommate and I had the same address, worked at the same company, arrived together and knew each other’s phone number.

The dealer asked my roommate: “are you married?”

Justin said “no”

I chimed in “well, you pretty much are” since he’d had the same girlfriend for 4 years and we had just been talking about it.

Dealer: “Oh, I know what you mean, my sister and her girlfriend are the same way”

I squinted, jaw dropped, replaying what I’d just heard. Justin rolled his head back, covered his face and laughed.

Justin: “no, no it’s not like that”

Me: “I like women (deep voice). We both have girlfriends”

I always thought that the Porsche logo was just the Porsche Family crest. I learned the truth a little while ago and found it again at http://sqa.pca.org/crest.htm I thought it was worth sharing.

Origin of the Porsche Crest

by Terry Lovett, Porsche Club of Canberra, Australia

THE CREST: In 1951 Porsche was finalizing plans for its move from the war time sanctuary of Gmund back to Stuttgart. Importers and agents selling his product made it clear that customers wanted some sort of trademark or badge to identify their vehicles, which till then, only carried the word “Porsche” on the body work. In 1952, Professor Porsche had devised the basic design of the crest. Folklore has it that he sketched it on a serviette during a luncheon. Whether true or not, it was Messrs. Lepper and Riemspiess of the publicity and design studios who carefully finalized the design.

There are three components: the family name, of course, is positioned at the top, while the other two components reflect Porsche’s gratitude for the rebirth of the company in the Stuttgart area. The red and black bars with the antlers are from the coat of arms of the State of Wurttemberg, and the horse is from the coat of arms of Stuttgart, capital of Wurttemberg. The origins of Stuttgart developed from the royal patronage given in historical times to the area. A fine horse stud developed here. So (Stud Garden) Stutt Garten and Stuttgart.

The crest first appeared on a Porsche in 1953, but was limited to the interior of the car – the horn button. It was not till 1957 that the crest joined the work Porsche on the front bonnet of a 356 Coupe.

THE COLOR: Maroon or claret has appeared on the driver’s hand-books, service manuals and official letterheads since 1951. The choice of color was due to necessity rather than any romantic design consideration. After the second World War, colored inks were in very short supply and colored papers were only just being reintroduced. It was in this environment that the first handbooks were produced. To maintain an attractive design within the shortages of the period, black ink and colored stock was chosen. The small printer Glauner happened to have some colored paper – maroon. It was a case of no alternatives. No one could imagine the precedent that this would set. Today, all official stationery, driver’s wallets and even the exterior color schemes of the new factory building in Stuttgart utilize bold stripes of these colors.

THE SCRIPT: The Porsche script has undergone a number of evolutionary phases since it appeared on Porsche No. 1 at Gmund in June 1948.

From the outset, the square shape of the letters was apparent. Initially, letters were placed individually in a curved pattern o the front of the cars. In 1950, a horizontal underlining bar joined all the letters into a single unit. In 1952, the letters became more squat (extended). This design remained unchanged for the remaining life of the 356 series. In 1963-64, the 911 came on the scene. The word Porsche reverted to a series of individual letters of a thinner and more open shape. In 1974, the metal letters were no longer used. Instead they were depicted on the reflective panel separating the tail lights of the 911. To end, I quote Tony Lapine, head of styling studio: “More than any emblem or logo, Professor Porsche himself represents the bond between tradition and progressive technology that makes Porsche such a unique company.”

Origin Of The Porsche Crest
Copyright © 2007 Sequoia Region, Porsche Club of America.
Porsche®, Carrera®, Targa®, Tiptronic-S®, Boxster® and the
Porsche Crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG.

The Most Powerful 911 Ever!

The new Porsche 911 GT2 is one of the most powerful road going Porsches ever built.  It is the fastest of all 911s.

Unlike your basic 480 hp 911 Turbo, the GT2 relies on rear-wheel drive alone, vs. four-wheel drive and pumps out 530 hp from an engine that’s just 3.6 liters. Just for a frame of reference, the engine in a Subaru Tribeca is 3.6 liters and puts out 250 horsepower.  The only transmission is a six-speed manual.

All of this performance and power is from an engine that achieves 19 mpg.

The GT2 is the first Porsche to get the new PSM Porsche Stability Management system, which keeps the car in line under acceleration, braking and cornering forces. Sideways slide control and acceleration traction control can both be turned off; however the ABS braking system will always be with you. 

Porsche’s are notoriously tricky to launch from a full stop. Part of the new stability management system is a launch assist function that will make numerous adjustments to keep both rear wheels from spinning and losing acceleration.

1.While at a stop, press the clutch and gas pedals all the way to the floor.

2. Select 1^st gear

The engine maximizes turbo boost, traction settings and engine RPMs automatically.  

3. Side-step the clutch (take your foot of immediately) and the car takes care of the rest, resulting in a face melting sprint.

LAUNCH!

0-60 flies by in 3.7 seconds. Top speed is around 205 mph! 

The GT2’s amazing engine achieves such impressive numbers with some of Porsches cutting-edge technology found in the Turbo. The GT2 employs two variable vain turbos.  A turbo charger works by using the exhaust from an engine to spin a turbine (like a paddle-wheel). The spinning turbine forces air back into the engine. With more air, you can make a bigger bang. 

Variable-vain turbos adjust the segments (like the slats on a paddle wheel) to make the best use out of the pressure available.

Extensive use of light weight materials like titanium exhaust and mufflers (shaving 20lbs) allow the GT2 to be both more powerful and lighter than the Turbo.

I admit that there’s probably a 1 in 20 chance I’ll ever be driven in a GT2, and a smaller chance I’ll drive one myself, but that doesn’t affect my desire and appreciation for the car.

I love the timeless, yet aggressive design of the cars but I really appreciate the fact that the GT2 is an everyday uber car.  It’s blazing fast, but you can drive to the track and then drive it home.   You don’t need the engine pulled at 4500 mile.

On top of that, Porsches are just, well…German. They don’t mess with selling you their F1 pedigree, or act like snobs. Their most amazing cars don’t even catch a second look by most pedestrians, but they stand out to those that care.

They build great sports cars, without frills, and are proud to do it, and the GT2 is one the fastest ever made.

Porsches are timeless, elegant, and overpriced. Occasionally, there are hot lesbians named after them too (see picture). Automotive and marketing experts, along with hardcore Porsche fans, (pronounced “PORSH-uh”) agree that the lofty prices porsche charges don’t always make sense, especially on cars that are undoubtedly underpowered for their price, until you get into talking Turbo or GT. I mean the Cayman S I bought was $69k and change. I had to pay extra for the most basic of stupid stuff like a steering wheel and automatic climate control. Simple features that come on any $60,000 passenger car, Exige and Atom excluded, are all extra for a Porsche. Sadly, that’s true for every Porsche until you get to six figures, where they’ll throw in some freebees since they’ve already milked you raw by then. There is of course the annoyance that Porsche is now making 15 versions of the 911.

911 Carrera 911 Carrera S 911 Carrera Cabriolet 911 Carrera S Cabriolet 911 Carrera 4 911 Carrera 4S 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet 911 Carrers 4S Cabriolet 911 Targa 4 911 Targa 4S 911 Turbo 911 Turbo Cabriolet 911 GT3 911 GT3 RS 911 GT2

After all the nickel and dimming, you’re left with a car that gets smoked by a Corvette costing 10 g’s less or barely win a white-knuckle drag race with a Z (nearly 2/5ths of what you paid for your S class)     

HOWEVER, the Porsche is always fun. Always fresh. Always exciting. The mid engine layout and light-weight design keep the nimble chassis poised to change direction. It’s like you’re driving a go-kart covered in leather.

It looks great today, and unlike the other two, it will still look good 5 years or 50 years from now.

Of the 3 Porsche’s I’ve known the Cayman is the most fun. The faster Porsches, like a ‘96 Turbo are like weapons. Very mechanical, very purposeful, and very cold. It’s fast as hell and awesome to drive, but it feels like it could split your head open on a wet road with too much throttle. Of course that’s the fun, but daily danger looses its appeal.

I’d say a Boxster is as fun, but too many chicks drive them and most men won’t admit it’s cool. It’s a German Miata.

There are cars that are as fast or faster for less money, but Porsche charges what they do, because they can. No other company offers such sophisticated and engaging cars that remain fun and useful every single day. Combined with the classic brand they have created, Porsche will continue to provide the best car for those that are willing to close their eyes when they hand over their wallet and ignore the bean counter in their head. Think ear muffs.

Next Porsche??? The Porsche Panamera due to debut in 2009

There was too much to put into one post, so here’s round 2!

The Uncompromising Porsche GT2 in Guards Red

Cayman S, Porsche Design Edition 1. It looks bad-ass, but not sure if it’s worth the mark-up

The Best Concept Cars:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Veloster Show Car

Volt Prototype

Stupidest Concept Car!

The Biggest Monstrosity, modeled by Bryant Davis.

Smallest Car

Random Craziness:3 Wheeler???

BIG Rolls. Rolls Royce Phantom Tungsten $372 t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s!

I swear we both have girlfriends

Lexus actually had a cool thing outside. Their new 416 horsepower IS F is coming out in March 2008 to compete with the mighty M3, and the other Germans. You hop in a car on a dyno machine and they let you floor it to 120 mph and paddle shift through the gears. The video I shot is here:

It was pretty cool. How often do you get to beat the crap our of a car that’s not your own? It’s hard to tell on the video, but the system blips the throttle when you down shift. The blips were a big deal when companies first started getting good at it, but now it’s just a necessity. I shot a video from the inside of the car, but honestly it was so quite it’s not worth posting.Cool stuff. If you didn’t have a chance to check it out this year, you should make a note for 2008!

Porsche recently announced its plans to release a limited edition Boxster, specially designated as the RS 60 Spyder. This designation is meant to pay homage to the company’s famous racecar, the 718 RS Spyder.

Only 1960 will be made; a number chosen to celebrate Porsche’s first win at the 12 hours of Sebring in the year 1960. That race was won by…(drum roll) the 718 RS Spyder. The win was monumental for the relatively young brand.

The car will be visually distinctive thanks to it’s red leather, red top and unique front-lip spoiler.   All red tail lights will also set the car apart from the standard Boxster. 

Horsepower is bumped slightly to 303 thanks to a new tailpipe design.

Now of course the price-tag. $65k base, so call it $70,000 once you add up the options.  I’m sure it’s a cool car, but $70k for a Boxster?? Maybe the 1960 units made isn’t meant to make it rare, but it’s just the number of chicks crazy enough to buy one.

On autoblog.com someone commented it’s for the trophy wife that has everything….

I love Porsche’s, as you may have noticed, and am the first  to admit that these excellent cars are overpriced; however the truth hurts sometimes