Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the Zhuhai International Circuit. The latest addition to the Porsche faculty, the Cayman, will be teaching basic car control and introduce the ideal racing line on our open circuit. The Cayman's features will impress many young students. Rumour has it the Cayman's a tougher-looking Boxster with a hard-hat, but the new roofline is much more than a makeover.
The Boxster was designed as a convertible, with sufficient structural rigidity and power to please most poseurs; but the Cayman S's bespoke bodywork swoops in a single steel pressing, eliminating any connections that would flex in heavy cornering and making the Cayman S a solid block of driving precision.
The interior's familiar, thanks to Porsche's parts-bin tactics. Not that I'm complaining, as the new instrument binnacles are highly legible even when you're working hard on the track. The steering is slightly oversized but perfectly weighted - feeding you every detail of the road under its front wheels. Like its alligator-like reptilian namesake, the Cayman S's tenacious grip preys on each metre of tarmac ahead. Working with an updated Tiptronic automatic gearbox, it teaches freshmen to drive by instinct, concentrating on the entries and exits of each bend, with the superb balance and Porsche Advanced Suspension Management (PASM) tidying up the car's attitude on corners.
As in a well set-up go-kart, confidence builds with every hard-pressed lap, while the Cayman S holds your hand and refines your lines. Even on a power-friendly track such as Zhuhai, our Cayman S locked its jaws on the portly rear bumper of the new 911 Carrera 4S, despite giving away 400cc, 60 horsepower and four-wheel-drive. As the 911 stormed along the main straight, our nimbler, lighter Cayman S would outbrake it into the corners, recovering just past the apex to emerge a few car lengths in front. As much as the rear-engined 911s keep you on your toes, the Cayman S encourages clean entries and smooth exits, rewarding you handsomely with consistency and ease.
Class dismissed. The silver-haired 911's awkward and stubborn layout is tricky to drive on the limit, and requires the experience and sensitivity of a master to extract its very best.