LETTERS
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CAYMAN PARANOIA
In response to Jeremy Laird, September issue 2018, I want to say this. It is not in my nature to respond in this way. I have been patient with his constant worries and reportage for much of the time. But his closing article on the Cayman brought me at the end of my tether.
It is good he is off the scene but I hope he does not start the same poor quality articles on his Porsche Boxster 3.2 by discouraging others from possessing one and enjoying their Porsche. I had a Boxster 3.2 and do you know what? I never gelled with it. I was more in love with my 2.5 Boxster that had preceded it. So within a year I sold my brand new 3.2 and moved into the 996 territory. Again, there was something there that was not for me. Then I moved onto a 987.1 Cayman S. Eureka! I gelled with the 987.1 so badly that if anyone ever pulls it away from me I will be left without skin.
The moral here is that we need to be careful when we present our personal views on a subject. The Cayman is such a good and solid car that readers should know about it. They should stop listening to personal traumas and dramas and stop believing the story wholeheartedly. They should get on with driving and enjoying their Porsches without fear and intimidation.
Mr Laird's excursion into Porsche 987.1 ownership was a mistake in the first place. He came in with serious preconceptions to the point that he became so overtaken by events that at every turn of the wheel, every knock, every sound emanating from his car was deemed to be a prophecy of doom and disaster. Quickly enough, he got to such a mental state that he started believing his own fears to the extent that he presented his articles on the 'Croc' as an expert on the 987.1 engine, suspension, ride quality, tyre sizes and the rest with such an obsessive manner that he succeeded in becoming engulfed in his own nightmare. In the process, he probably started harming his own health from the intensity. Unfortunately, his expressed litany of personal experiences (factual or other) filtered through so badly that he was sending the wrong and not so independent message to your readers.
People should be informed but allowed to buy their cars and keep driving them without being made to sweat at the wheel, or feel paranoid that at the turn of the ignition there may well be an explosion.
Some editorial intervention, independence and balance in reporting personal likes and dislikes should always be applied. When stories get out of hand, the unwary readers may believe the unfortunate personal story to their own detriment. The legendary Orson Welles once broadcast a fictional story about the world coming to an imminent end. It was so convincing that thousands rushed to escape the oncoming onslaught by turning to the streets and praying to God to save the world. When the world was found to be safe the next morning, they were happy that their strong faith negated the inevitable and the world was once again safe from cataclysm. Professor Tony Vass, via email
Steve Bennett replies: Thank you, Tony, just the sort of letter we like and enjoy reading/publishing. In fairness to Jeremy, his engine did blow up one week after buying his Cayman, which might have tainted his view, but he did take the car to 100,000+miles, and so did have plenty to experience and say on the subject. Wheel/tyre sizes and suspension are very personal (and I'm equally guilty here) things and Jeremy was always clear that it was his own personal Nirvana that he was chasing.