Porsche Cayman - A Brief History
The Cayman is a mid-engined 2-seat sports car produced by Porsche AG of Germany. First launched in the 2006 model year, the Cayman is the coupé version of the second generation Porsche Boxster convertible. Like the Boxster, the Cayman is assembled in Finland by Valmet Automotive.
The name "Cayman" is said to be an alternate spelling of caiman, a species of reptile closely related to the alligator, and has nothing to do with the Cayman Islands. Porsche has, in fact, donated to a Stuttgart Zoo's caiman exhibit, because of the shared namesakes between the animal and the automobile.
After two years of development, the first version of the coupé to be released was the Cayman S (type 987.120). Photographs and technical details were released in May of 2005, but the public unveiling did not take place until September (at the Frankfurt Motor Show). The S suffix (an acronym for Special) indicated that this was a higher performance version of a then unreleased normal version. That version, the Cayman (987.110), went on sale in July of 2006. A motorsport-tuned version, the Cayman RS, is rumored to have been tested at the Nürburgring that same year.
The Cayman model (987c) and the 987 model of the Boxster share the same mid-engined platform and many components, including the front fenders and trunk lid, side doors, headlights and forward portion of the interior. The design of the Cayman's body incorporates styling cues from two classic Porsches; the 550 Coupé and the 904 Coupé. Unlike the convertible Boxster, the Cayman has a large hatchback for access to luggage areas on top and in back of the engine cover. The suspension design is fundamentally the same as that of the Boxster, but features revised settings appropriate to the increase in chassis stiffness resulting from the Cayman's fixed roof.
The 3.4 litre six-cylinder engine (type M97.21) in the Cayman S is derived from the Boxster S's 3.2 litre powerplant (M96.26), but features cylinder heads from the 997 S's 3.8 litre motor (M97.01) with the VarioCam Plus valve timing and lift system. The normal Cayman is powered by a 2.7 litre version of that engine (M97.20). The exclusive use of these new powerplants in Caymans ended with the 2007 model year when the Boxster (987.310) and Boxster S (987.320) were upgraded with the engine from the respective Cayman model.
The horizontally opposed (boxer) layout of the engine cylinders is one of only four layouts that have a natural dynamic balance; the others being the straight-6, the flat-12 and the V12. Boxer engines have a characteristic smoothness throughout the rev range and, combined with the mounting position immediately ahead of the rear axle, offer a low center of gravity and more neutral handling.
A 5-speed manual transaxle is standard on the normal Cayman, while a 6-speed manual (Getrag 466) is the default for the S (and an option on the normal). An electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transaxle (Tiptronic) is also available. Other options include electronically controlled suspension (PASM), ceramic brake discs (PCCB), xenon high and low beam headlights (Bi-Xenon) and an electronically controlled sport mode (Sport Chrono Package).
Source: Cayman
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