dream | act | succeed

As true Porsche enthusiasts, of course we know our numbers, don’t we?

The Porsche Cayman. Introduced in 2006 as the coupe version of the second generation Boxster. The 987. The concept, brilliant. A small and nimble car, mid-engine, two seats. The style, well, the first generation Cayman is just not my thing. The front looks ok, but the back, gosh, what were the designers thinking? The roof closes in way too soon, causing the side silhouette to highlight the low back. The car got a facelift, sure. But they didn’t really touch the exterior design. The PDK which got introduced made the automatic cars attractive, but come on, it’s a car to drive, please, take a manual.

The second generation of the Cayman launched at the end of 2012. The 891 Cayman, or 981c. The concept, still the very same, but finally they have worked on the exterior design. The new coupe version is looking stunning to this very day. A much more grown up appearance, modern shapes, this car, a true alternative to the 911 model range.

But today isn’t about the old model, is it? Today is day #718. Of course we need to talk about the new version.

THE 982 718 CAYMAN.

Why are there so many numbers? Because Porsche can! A tribute to the 718. A marketing gag? With the next generation Cayman, the years of the natural aspirated engines were over. The enthusiasts, definitely not happy. A four cylinder 2 liter engine? Are they kidding us?! Sure, Porsche had this four cylinder 718 back in the old days, but come on! The new Caymans, all turbo charged like the 991.2 911 series. The regulations lead the way, sure, but still, it just hurts.

Belonging to a special kind of Porsche enthusiasts, born around the mid 90’s, I represent neither the classical nor the modern enthusiasts breed. It needs to be a Porsche, sure, but what defines a Porsche? The engine, the concept, the outside appearance? The younger generations do not seem to care. A Porsche is a Porsche. Only the numbers are important. The older generations? They are different. The engine concept is more important than the looks. They know the cars from their youth. Finally want to own the dreams of the childhood. But me? My generation is different. We are sitting in between the dilemma. We know about the past, but honestly do not seem to care too much about it. We haven’t experienced the things they did. There were no good looking air cooled 911 hanging around in my youth. There was this 996 ugly looking something. The 987, way too close to that little thing. We can hardly appreciate the style. The 991 or 981 models, sure, great looking cars. Actually the cars we desire! The problem, they are the last ones of their kind. They were not build for too long and are therefore pretty expensive. But a 718 Cayman? Come on! It’s a four cylinder engine! What will they all say? And so, we can hardly buy a Porsche these days, even if we want to. We do not want to belong to the newer generation. The one that doesn’t know about the difference between a natural aspirated and a turbo charged engine. No! We know! We want the typical 911 sound that we know. The natural aspirated water cooled one.

The 718 makes just sense. The car must be brilliant. But it’s just nothing I want to get identified with. At least as long as the wrong engine is mounted behind my back. The GT4 version, or the 4.0 GTS, sure, now we can talk. But even though these cars have the right kind of engine, still, the styling is something we can not identify with. It’s the modern design language that we do not get. It’s just not that clean and simple. It’s too much! Way over the top. But hey, that’s just me talking. That’s just what I think. I just can’t imagine to get one of those turbo charged not supposed to be turbo charged engines.

And so, either it needs to be a 981 or 991.1 natural aspirated car, or it needs to be a GT3/ GT4 or real turbo model.

See you next time!