Cayman…Cayman…Cayman. Oh, and some Boxster afterthoughts

I read a couple of interesting articles today, both pimping the Cayman. This despite the second one being ABOUT the Boxster. Both are worth reading even if they are biased towards the Cayman. Even though I’m not a huge Boxster guy, I still think the car deserves a fair shake in it’s own right and, hey, I’m all about loving ALL Porsches in 2009.

The first is by John Griffiths (what is it about guys named John and Porsche Caymans?) on FT.com. It’s an interesting article about some time spent behind the wheel of a Cayman S in Spain. He also makes a great case for the Cayman and why it could potentially outsell the 911 based not only on price and availability, but performance, handling and desirability. This paragraph sums up his post:

Eight miles later, the road had proved beyond doubt that Porsche has done, at long last, what it said it would never do and even now will not admit to. It has created a two-seater sports coupé, the latest version of the Cayman S, which eliminates almost every reason for spending nearly £20,000 more on the time-hallowed 911. [Via FT.com]

Read the rest on FT.com.

The second article worth reading is actually about the Boxster, but you’d never know it from the first two paragraphs:

There’s one big problem with the new Boxster, but it’s not the car’s fault. The ’09 Boxster is in every way better than the ’08 car – it looks, handles, stops and goes better than ever before. But that’s still not enough to get over the issue. And, truth be told, it never will be, because the problem is not the Boxster – it’s the new Cayman that’s just been launched alongside it.

Faster, more powerful and even better handling, the only thing the Cayman hasn’t got over the Boxster is the convertible roof. So you better make sure you want the open-air experience over the better figures, as in every other way, the Cayman beats it. The tin-topped S has 10bhp more and 8lb ft more of torque than the Boxster S. Its top speed is 2mph higher, and it’s 0.1secs quicker to 60mph. I know those don’t sound like much, but to Porsche drivers those fractions are everything. [Via Alibaba.com]

I thought they had possibly put the wrong title on the entry. As it turns out, it actually IS about the Boxster and details some of the most important updates for the 2009 model. After reading the article though, I was left wondering why I’d even consider a Boxster.

Read the rest on Alibaba.com.

One interesting factoid. According to the Alibaba.com article, England is one of the largest markets for convertibles in the world. I know a lot of the cars I see for sale online from the U.K., especially the exotic ones, are convertibles, but I still find that very surprising. Doesn’t seem like the weather is good enough, often enough, to make a convertible worthwhile. Course that’s coming from a guy who owns a 911 convertible AND lives in Oregon.