Goliath has fallen

The R is the Cayman fully unleashed, to 911-beating e ect

THE CAYMAN R was the first time Porsche unshackled its mid-engined sports car, the first time it encroached on its iconic bigger brother. The R borrowed lightweight aluminium doors from the GT3, lightweight 19in wheels from the Boxster Spyder (at that point the lightest wheels Porsche made), and fabric door pulls from the GT3 RS. Carbonfibre bucket seats were in, air-con, the PCM infotainment system and the leather for the dashboard were out, and Porsche even binned the instrument binnacle cover and fitted a smaller fuel tank.

It is the predecessor to 2015’s fantastic Cayman GT4, a forgotten gem, and while you’d be lucky to find an example of the former for under £90k, for half that you can have a peach of an R with 20,000 to 30,000 miles. Prices don’t really differ between the Porsche Approved Used network and specialists, but whichever route you take it will appreciate in value.

They’re generally very reliable and low-maintenance cars too, according to Porsche specialist RPM Technik. Service history is of course very important – every two years or 20,000 miles without fail at a main dealer or well-known Porsche specialist, and more frequently if it’s been regularly tracked.

Modified parts, wear on the shoulders of tyres, and ‘gravel rash’ are signs that the previous owner has indulged, while knocking and creaking over bumps is an indicator of worn suspension components. But get a good one, of which there are many, and it’s very sweet. Climb into the stripped-out interior, twist the key (a proper Porsche key, not one shaped like a melted Panamera) and the flat-six chunters awake. For the R an extra 20bhp was liberated (200rpm higher up the rev range), and it’s naturally aspirated, so throttle response is fantastic. This example from Porsche Service Centre Brooklands has the spine-tingling optional sports exhaust system too.

The electro-hydraulic steering is textured and delightfully informative, with the 20mm lower suspension and proper locking limited-slip differential combining to create a sublime chassis, and the whole driving experience is proof that if you want a proper Porsche it doesn’t have to be a 911.

Even Porsche’s Andreas Preuninger – the man behind every single GT2, GT3 and GT4 – specs his cars with air-con, so it’s no surprise to find that all the examples of the R in the Porsche Approved network have what was a free option when new. All those cars have the optional sat-nav too, but this PCM system isn’t a must-have as Google Maps will do a better job in 2018.

We’d always take a manual Cayman R, which has the full cut-price Cayman GT4 vibe – but demand is split 50:50 between it and the optional dual-clutch PDK transmission. The

stick-shifters are, however, harder to find: as we went to press there were only two available in the UK classifieds, including RPM Technik’s lovely two-owner, 39,000-mile, £42,995 example. It has the short-shift gearbox option as well, and does without the decals.

You’ll either love or loathe the Peridot Green launch colour, and while there are no unpopular colours, the more vibrant the hue the quicker they tend to sell. RPM Technik says the bucket seats and Spyder wheels are must-haves, so ignore cars where the original owner specced comfort seats and the optional alloys. The sports exhaust and xenon lights are desirable options as well, while you’ll be hard pushed to find an R with the PCCB ceramic brakes (which were £5463 extra). 4

Thanks to RPM Technik (rpmtechnik.co.uk) and Porsche Service Centre

Brooklands (porschebrooklands.co.uk)