Porsche's ownership of VW only confirms that the Cayman has no place at the forefront of Porsche the entity. They do not need to create a cayman that would HAVE to cost more than a 911 in order to dominate the marquee only to be in direct competition with the R8 and Lambo which they now are in control of and reap the profits for. It would be over saturation and not a smart business move. In other words stupid.

Porsche needs VW to keep up with the increasing CAFE laws by sheer numbers. Once they dominate VW, Audi, Lambo etc. then it's really all in the family. There is no need for a super cayman, when you already have mid engine supercars owned by Porsche built on those platforms and that the GT2 can match or beat.

In the grand scheme of things there is no better fit for the cayman than where it is. If Porsche were to go that route, not only would they regress because of developement time, but it's likely they couldn't acheive any more success than they already have.

They are already winning in all kinds of series around the world in the 911's any greater classes are tube framed in which a new cayman chassis would be useless anyways. There is no surety that a cayman RSR would be any faster than a 911 RSR. The only clear advantage of going to a mid engine platform is the development of a bigger engine.

 

Agree that 911 will always stay rear engined, but there will be a limit as there is not much room back there.

I predict that the next big thing will be the 2 doors version of Panamera (the next 928?) with big turbo engine and AWD, the direct competitior of GT-R.

 

THAT makes me happy!

 

Porsche doesn't need to compete with the GTR. The GTR is not even in the same class. With the GTR you have LC that you can't use, and a tranny that can't handle the power. Porsche need not worry about competing with that.

 

This would be a good step in the right direction:


And so would this:

 

I could care less about the GTR. I was talking about a 928!!!!!!

 

Even if Porsche came out with a Cayman model significantly quicker than a base 911, I don't think the 987 could ever really step on the 911's coat tails. The Cayman's a decent looking car, but it still looks like a junior-class Porsche. The guy buying a Carrera won't care about one top-dog "GT series" Cayman model that's quicker than his classically styled, iconic 911. As long as there's a higher performing 911 model available, the pecking order is maintained.

This Cayman would satisfy the guys who can't afford a GT3, yet want a car with similar track abilities and feel. At around $80K, it would be significantly less expensive than the GT3. Sure, a pre-owned 996 GT3 could fit the bill, but not everyone wants a used car.

Say.. 360hp, GT style suspension, more aggressive styling, etc. ..could be nice! Hmm.. the ''Cayman GT''.

 

Perhaps someday Porsche should consider developing a mid-engined model slotted above the 911 series and below their 'Halo' model that out performs(by a wide-margin) the R8, Gallardo, F-??? since the 911 already is a direct competitor.

 

Porsche now owns the Gallardo and R8. Like I said, that would not be a smart move to undercut them in the market.

Porsche needs to take what they have and make the most of it. Trying to make the same thing in 3 different platforms sounds like a GM type of move, and we all know where that has gotten GM.

 

I would be happy if they had some more Twin-Turbo 6 cylinder rear wheel drive yummyness...=p

 

I think it's pretty clear where Porsche is going. 911's sell themselves, and its obvious the car is antiquated, yet we all line up and continue to buy them. Porsche is going to focus on growth in sectors it has no makes and models. The Panamera launch is identical to the Boxster, anyone else remember how bad the economy was? Remember Porsche almost went belly up? The Boxster was hated by all Porschephiles and accepted by the automotive community instantly. I suspect we will witness the same thing with the "ugly" 4-door. There is now a clear choice for buyers that want a driver oriented car and have a budget for something more then Audi and BMW has to offer them.
Will there be a 2 door version?, don't count on it. Porsche has stated more times then I can remember that it will never, ever do anything to eat into 911 market share.
There will never be a front engine 911, we can just accept that as reality.
Porsche finally has a well rounded line, maybe now is time to worry about some other things like service and build quality to make sure they can keep the image they worked so hard to build.
As for Lambo, that is an entire different subject and I do not see them surviving. It is too bad, they did an amazing job in a very short period of time.

 

Bring on the Flat 8 lets rock n roll...

 

IMO the only thing that will need a flat 8 is the GT3. The turbo cars don't need a V8. In fact the twin turbo 6 cylinder is the future of many autos.

But if Porsche are going to a lighter motor in the flat 6, I'd take a flat 8 version of that. The torque would be insane.

 

You don't have to wait for Porsche to change the 911.

 

Sorry about that. I was actually responding to Targa Tim's post and screwed it up.