Local News: Cayman R Revealed

The Cayman R, the top-of-the-range variant in the Cayman model range, promises a race-car like performance capability through a sporting concoction of speed, agility and efficiency. Through an extensive weight reduction of 55 kilograms over the Cayman S, the driving dynamics in the Cayman R has been significantly improved, with the car’s agility and acceleration capabilities honed to deliver a precise driving experience.

The new Cayman R was first unveiled to a world-wide acclaim at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November last year and will be available in the striking peridot green colour – a colour uniquely designed for the Cayman R.

The Porsche alphabet reserves the letter R for very special sports cars: R for responsive and refined – but most especially for racy. The new Cayman R combines all these attributes without compromise. 55 kilograms lighter and with ten horsepower more than the Cayman S, the new mid-engine coupé from Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is designed for spectacular road behaviour. With its specially adapted sports chassis, it provides an even more precise driving experience than the Cayman S.

The new mid-engine coupé is powered by a tuned-up 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine developing 330 hp. In the standard configuration, it transmits its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox that propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds. There is also the option of the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) that reduces its acceleration time to 4.9 seconds. For even more impressive sprinting performance, the Cayman R can be supplied with one of the optional Sport Chrono packages, taking it to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds.

The new mid-engine coupé is capable of a top speed of 282 km/h with manual gearbox, or 280 km/h with PDK. Its NEDC fuel consumption is 9.7 l/100 km with six-speed gearbox and 9.3 l/100 km with PDK. The main aim during the design of the Cayman R was to improve the two-seater even further in its performance, driving dynamics and agility through consistent weight reduction. With a DIN unladen weight of just 1,295 kilograms Porsche engineers was able to reduce the power-to-weight ratio of the coupé with standard manual gearbox to 3.9 kilograms per horse-power, with the PDK version weighing 4.0 kilograms per horsepower. The largest savings were achieved through the use of lightweight components and doing without convenience equipment. As for the 911 GT3/GT3 RS and Boxster Spyder, an optional lithium-ion lightweight construction battery is also available. In addition, the top model in the mid-engine coupé is equipped with the lightest 19 inch wheels the entire Porsche range can offer. The complete rim set weighs less than 40 kilograms.

The Cayman R's purpose and purist character can be seen at first glance. The extended silhouette of the bodywork, which has been lowered by 20 millimetres (0.79 in) compared to the Cayman S, combined with the distinctive fixed rear spoiler, the high-quality silver-painted wheels and numer-ous sporting highlights on both the interior and exterior, ensures an individual appearance. The black-framed headlights, black exterior mirrors and the "Porsche" lettering on the side – in contrasting black or silver, depending on the body colour – take design cues from classic Porsche racing cars.

Precisely this lettering was the trademark of the first Porsche with the "R" designation, the 911 R of 1967. It was created for racing sport use in a small series of 19 cars. The "R" was a prototype based on the standard coupé with a 210 horsepower Carrera 6 engine and, thanks to its many plastic components and extremely sparse equipment, weighed only 830 kilograms.

The estimated basic price of the Cayman R starts from SGD 306,888. Prices are inclusive of PDK, a 5-year free maintenance and warranty program, road tax and GST but exclude COE prices.

Credits: wilswong