“For the sport of it” is how Porsche is marketing the 718 Cayman. Yes, the German manufacturer has successfully applied the same formula it used earlier this year with the Boxster. That is to affix 718 before the model’s name, get rid of two cylinders, add forced induction, and redesign a handful of bits and bobs.
The Porsche enthusiasts among us may remember that 718 is a name that the manufacturer used in the late 1950s for an open-cockpit racing car. Indeed, that 550A-based Porsche 718 won the 1959 Targa Florio, the European Hill Climb Championship in 1958 and 1959, and took a class win at Le Mans in 1961. The 2017 Porsche 718 series, on the other hand, is far from being a purpose-built racecar, but the mid-cycle facelift of the Boxster and the Cayman.
The 718 Cayman, then. As noted beforehand, the coupe-ified variant of the Boxster has lost its naturally aspirated flat-6 in favor of a turbocharged flat-4. The regular 718 Cayman boasts with 2.0 liters of engine displacement and 300 PS, while the 718 Cayman S ups the ante to 2.5 liters and 350 PS. This makes for a difference of 25 metric horsepower between the pre-facelifted Caymans and the 718 Caymans.
Torque is also up, as is fuel efficiency, which means that the 718 Cayman is better in every way compared to its predecessor, except for aural pleasure. In any case, what you lose is counterbalanced by the added get-up-and-go. When equipped with the PDK transmission and the Sport Chrono Package, the 718 Cayman S completes the sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.2 seconds. Top speed? 177 mph (285 km/h), thank you!
The list of differences and improvements continues with subtle things like the rear wheels, which are one-half of an inch wider for better stability in the corners. As for the visual overhaul over the pre-facelifted Cayman, I’ll let the following photo gallery do the talking for me. Last, but certainly not least, the pricing: $53,900 for the 718 Cayman and $66,300 for the Cayman S (excluding $1,050 for delivery). The pricing strategy makes the 718 Boxster marginally more expensive at $56,000 sans charges, a first for the Boxster-Cayman duo.
For more info on the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman, please refer to the release under the video.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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