Porsche Cayman

The vehicle in detail

If you choose to lurk in the dark pages of a Piston Heads forum thread, you might see the term “Drivers Car” lauded. But what does it mean, surely by definition, every car is a driver’s car? What they’re really alluding to is a feeling, where human and machine intertwine to create an almost euphoric driving experience.

Ask the forum dwellers and you’ll get a long list of drivers’ cars, but arguably none represent quite as good value as a first generation Porsche Cayman. Launched in 2005 effectively as a Boxster with a roof, was positioned as a first time Porsche but it is a truly excellent car.

Unlike the 911, the Boxster and the Cayman’s engine is mid-mounted, not out in a different postcode at the rear. This makes for an incredibly well balanced car, not quite 50/50 weight distribution but surely not far off. Despite its comparatively smaller scale, it retained a traditional Porsche flat six like the early Boxster, so it quickly became apparent, this is what a 911 could’ve been, had the rear engine directive been left behind.

This particular example is a 987 Cayman, supplied in March of 2009. Externally, the car is finished in Ruby Red Metallic, the paintwork is in great shape despite the car being 15 years old. There are some age related marks, but that is of course to be expected.

The wheels are 18” items, finished in silver and free from any nasty curbing. They’re wrapped in a full-set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5s. A sure fire sign for a car that has been well loved is the advent of high-quality high performance tyres. Tucked behind the wheels are the original alloy Porsche brakes which have been refinished in Ruby Red Metallic to match the body work, a subtle but nice touch.

Step inside and the “Driver’s car” theme continues, it’s an incredibly high-quality interior, as you’d expect from Porsche. The simplistic and clear dash is free from any cracks, and houses Porsche’s iconic centrally mounted rev-counter. The steering wheel is free from any fuss, no buttons, pure driving, wrapped in alcantara to add a grippy tactical feeling and finished with a motorsport inspired red centre line stripe.

Other upgrades to the interior include alcantara wrapped gear knob and gaiter, handbrake lever and arm rest, which are all finished with white contrast stitching. The radio has been upgraded with a Pioneer unit that includes Apple Carplay/Android Auto to improve longer journeys, along that theme, the car was also retrofitted with Cruise control. Finally, the centre console has been colour coded to the exterior body work.

As a slightly later facelifted 987, this Cayman benefits from a 2.9-litre flat six, rather than the earlier 2.7-litre. That means it also benefits from a 6-speed-manual gearbox, over the earlier 5-speed. The engine produces around 260bhp, and thanks to the Cayman’s lightweight frame propels it to 60 in around 5 and half seconds, plenty fast enough.

The car runs and drives excellently, this is in no doubt thanks to its extensive program of maintenance that includes drive-belt services, intermediate and major services. The records include:

• 04/2011 – 14,597 miles – Porsche Centre West London
• 04/2013 – 28,954 miles – OSD Motorwerks
• 04/2015 – 41,390 miles – OSD Motorwerks
• 04/2017 – 54,761 miles – OSD Motorwerks
• 12/2019 – 64,041 miles – GT One Ltd
• 10/2021 – 71,838 miles – GT One Ltd
• 09/2022 – 76,023 miles – Cridfords
• 10/2023 – 90,301 miles – Cridfords

The 987 Cayman renaissance is surely coming, like the E46 M3 before it these cars will soon be swallowed up by a generation of enthusiasts that start to see their true value. Finding an unmolested example of these more desirable facelifted models will become harder and harder, so now is a great time to get into an excellent example and experience true driving pleasure.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.