Porsche is the company that makes the cars in this episode. They’re known for sports cars and racing heritage, and the Cayman R is one of their models.
Bucket seats are the more supportive, “hugging” style of seats. They keep you in place better during spirited driving, and they’re common on the Cayman R.
A limited edition is a production run with a restricted number of cars, which can affect pricing and desirability. In collector markets, “limited” often matters, but this episode argues that the Cayman R’s value is driven more by driving feel than by production count alone.
“Motorsport infusion” describes taking engineering and specification cues from racing—such as engine tuning, chassis setup, and aerodynamic emphasis—and applying them to a road car. The segment uses this idea to explain why some limited Porsches feel more special than others.
A blueprinted engine is built or assembled to tighter tolerances than standard, with components matched and verified so performance and consistency improve. The host uses it to describe how the 964 RS’s engine spec was treated as more “race-prepped,” even if it started from a standard base.
Production numbers are the total quantity of a model produced, which strongly influences scarcity and collector pricing. The discussion contrasts production count with “what makes it special,” arguing that the Cayman R’s value is tied to driver experience as much as rarity.
An aero kit is a set of aerodynamic body components—like front splitters, side skirts, and rear wings—designed to improve airflow and downforce. The hosts mention the Cayman R’s aero kit and “funny wing” as part of why it looks distinct, but they emphasize that the driving feel is the bigger value driver.
The Porsche Cayman R is a special version of the Cayman that’s meant to feel more focused and lightweight. The idea is to remove extra comfort stuff and add more performance parts.
Aluminum doors are a weight-saving measure versus standard steel doors. On a lightweight Porsche like the Cayman R, reducing mass helps improve responsiveness and overall feel.
The GT3 is Porsche’s hardcore track model. Mentioning GT3 parts is a way of saying the Cayman R uses similar lightweight, performance-minded components.
PSE stands for Porsche Sport Exhaust, an exhaust system option that can change sound and sometimes throttle/exhaust behavior depending on mode. The speaker pairs it with Sport Chrono, suggesting both are key to the Cayman R’s intended character.
Sport mode is a driving setting that typically sharpens throttle response, steering feel (depending on equipment), and transmission behavior. The speaker’s advice—put it in Sport mode—implies the Cayman R’s performance character is strongly mode-dependent.
Manual transmission means the driver selects gears with a clutch and gear lever rather than relying on an automatic. The speaker’s mention of “manual” is part of the car’s spec and ties into the “purest” driving feel they’re discussing.
Mid-engine means the engine sits nearer the middle of the car. That can make the car feel more balanced and easier to steer, especially when driving fast or through corners.
Term
AC
AC is the car’s air conditioning. They’re saying that even though the car is track-focused, they still wanted the comfort of cool air.
This is basically asking: “Is it worth the money?” They’re talking about whether the driving experience and ownership benefits justify the purchase price.
“Pound per smile” is a humorous way to express value: how much fun (smiles) you get for each unit of money spent (pounds). It’s commonly used by enthusiasts to compare cars beyond just specs or raw performance.
A “flat spot” is when the engine feels a little lazy for a moment—like it’s not pulling strongly—before it suddenly picks up again. It’s the kind of thing you can feel when you accelerate.
The Alpine 110 is a small, sporty car designed to feel nimble and fun. In this segment, they’re comparing how the gearbox choice changes how quickly it feels like it pulls.
“Three-pedal guy” refers to preferring a traditional manual transmission with a clutch (three pedals total: clutch, brake, accelerator). The speaker connects this preference to how they like to control gear selection to manage torque delivery and avoid hesitation.
They’re about to talk about the car’s brakes as a potential weak spot. Brakes can feel different depending on the pads and how hard you drive them, especially on longer or more aggressive routes.
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transaxle porches by using the code NineWorks10 at HeritagePartsCentre.com. That's the code NineWorks10
at HeritagePartsCentre.com. So at the end of a fantastic DNHC road trip up here in Northumberland
and as is usual with the DNHC you're never too far away from a collection of Cayman R
owners so we're very lucky that NineWorks Radio listeners are joined by four of them. A warm
welcome to Paul. Good evening. To Tim. Hello. To Ben. Hello there. And to Steve. Good evening.
So we're not sure how this conversation is going to go. It might turn out to be a complete fluff
fest for the Cayman R. So we'll see if we can temper any of that. But the idea is obviously to
educate listeners because we've seen values wise with the Cayman R. It's been on a bit of a crest
away for about 18 months now. Finally I think people, the wider portion of populace are waking
up to the sheer merit of that car. But what we've lacked to date is any substantiation of why.
Ben, can I start with you first? Because you started a wonderful community.
Croc, as I found out, is called. Yeah. I wouldn't say I was the person that started it.
It almost happened by accident. It was actually Ascii's when he was setting up this Cayman R
display at Porsches by the Lake and it just kind of morphed from there really. But yeah,
I think there's probably about 65 of us now in the group. Yeah, I think there are about 65.
All UK based? All UK owners, yeah. What are the total build numbers of the Cayman R and
how many in the UK that you know of? So as far as we understand it, there's 221 Cayman Rs in the UK
out of 1620, I believe, that those numbers were never formally published by Porsche. But Porsche
Museum published something that said that I think it was 1621 Cayman Rs in total.
Yeah. Good source to be fair. And we believe, roughly speaking, 50-50 PDK versus manual
and of those probably 70% carrying bucket seats. Okay. That's about just 70% with buckets. It's
interesting. Okay. I mean, this is great knowledge and great data that you've been able to dig
from among your number. Just putting some of that in perspective, if you look at
other limited editions, I know the Cayman R is the limited edition, but if you look at the
Dakar Lee was what, two and a half thousand? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Fluffing already. I like it.
Straight in. It's not fluffing. It's putting in perspective of the numbers that are out there.
And actually it's harder because they aren't numbered. So 991 are, 991. But it's just putting
in perspective of those numbers. And if you look at the rarest Porsches, 4.997, 600.
So not a limited numbered production run, but the numbers are scarce. And it is a car with,
if not a Porsche motorsport car, capital M, it's kind of a motorsport infusion. It's given a bit
of extra pet to that 987 platform. Yeah. And not all limited cars are motorsport cars.
Sport classic, 250. Anniversaries. Yeah. Anniversaries. I'm going to say motorsport
is a new thing, right? That's kind of with Andreas Pröninger coming on board and developing
these specific engines for these cars. But if we go back to 964 RS, which was a motorsport car,
that was the standard blueprinted engine with 10 horsepower more, wasn't it? So
exactly the same as Cayman R. So for those that don't know what it was, for those that this
has lots of thumbs going up here listeners, honestly. Honestly, I'm feeling pressure here.
We're in choppy waters, choppy waters. It's just trying to put it in perspective. It's not
the fact is that there are a limited number of these cars. And numbered cars have a highlight
from when they were launched. And if you look at the production numbers, 964 RS, 2264, I think,
something like that, 227, something like that. The value in the Cayman R has got
nothing to do with how many were produced. I agree. It's because actually, to look at,
is it special? Not really, just looks like an S with the aero kit and a funny wing on the back,
doesn't it? But the value of the Cayman R is from the driver's seat. Absolutely. But you stood
with 100%. But in any market, if there's a limited amount and the appeal of something
is great, therefore, it has an impact. You're right. You're right. So I completely agree. But
any market does follow rarity in any form. But actually, that leads neatly on to
the sort of discovery and the journey that one has had, all of us have had with the car.
Before we dive into that, could we give for the uninitiated just outline the differences between
like, at just top level, what is a Cayman R spec wise? How does that differ from other
Caymans of that generation? So I guess the difference was to add likeness, right? So it's
aluminium doors from the GT3, small tank, cup holder, cup holder delete. The purest spec would
be no aircon, no radio, bucket seats, no rear white, like, well, yeah, manual or PDK, limited
slip diff, which had never been offered, you know, in the mid-engine car before that.
Light weight spider wheels, yeah. Did you mention the weight saving, sorry, over stock?
I think the purest spec would be 55 kilos saved over a standard Cayman.
Yeah, yeah. Okay. In my kind of limited experience driving those cars, I found the Cayman R a bit
like the 987 Spider to be very spec dependent. Is that fair or not?
There's a spec out there for everyone, right? Some people, you listen to people who have got
comforts, PDK, and it's the car for them. It's fantastic and it's great. Some of the colors,
the color range was quite interesting, but most of them are black, white, right?
Well, white, yeah. White is the number one color by some margin.
Why 50% of them were white?
Were white, yeah. And then black, blacks and paredos are quite close behind that, yeah.
But I think it's probably fair to say that all the four of us sitting around this table are
all manual bucket cars, right? But I don't think that that necessarily is the B in the end all.
I find that my car without Sport Chrono activated and PSE on doesn't seem to really come alive,
so I feel that they are necessary options on those cars.
You highlighted that this time a year ago, Ben, when you very kindly let me drive your car,
I couldn't quite work out what the fuss was about, and then you came through on the walk
talking and said, do yourself a favor, put it in Sport mode, son.
Yeah, it is. It's an absolute must. It's an absolute must because you can actually feel...
It's like Jacqueline, huh?
Yeah, you can feel the throttle. If you put your foot on the throttle,
just resting on the throttle pedal, and then press the sports button,
it moves away from your foot, actually dips a little bit, and so there's that,
and it's much sharper. And yeah, I mean, I literally don't drive mine without...
I don't know what the advantage you're getting from not having that, essentially,
because it is very soft without it.
I mean, the other thing I learned this weekend was from the Ben Bailey School of Driving is
switch off the traction control, and of course, combine that with a limited slip.
You really do feel... Yeah, I think it's worth saying that traction control in a
modern Porsche is never off, right? You're turning off Porsche stability management,
so you've still always got traction control, but it's going to be less interfering.
You're going to feel what the car is doing as opposed to what the brain's allowing you to do.
Yeah, very much so. You felt the same today, didn't you?
Yeah, I turned it off, and yeah, the car came alive, found it so much more playful,
especially hard cornering coming out of the corner.
Yeah, just a... I think I probably drove on this trip 90% with it off.
It'd be great to go around the table and just maybe highlight how long you've had the car,
and just... I know you said that you're all buckets and manual, but just a little bit more on the
spec, colors and whatnot, and then to answer the question why you decided to plump for a K-minar.
Maybe if we start with UPP and sweep left from there.
Okay, so I've owned my K-minar since last August, so eight months.
Also, black buckets, manual, no sports exhaust, chrono, twinkly lights, whatever they're called,
and 64-litre tank is that standard?
No, 54-litre tank was standard. You had that option back in, 64.
Oh, great for that today, actually. Okay, going across them all with the petrol station inside.
I suppose initially I was attracted by talking to people like Ben and various other people about
how balanced the car was, and I've always been a fan of that mid-engine platform,
and because I sort of tend to enjoy cars that are just a bit different,
and the price point of entry, it's a lot of money in real life, but in Porsche terms it's not,
and I also felt that the market was reasonably strong, that if it wasn't for me,
there was an easy exit from it, there was a ready market for it, so it wasn't something,
like walking into an OPC and buying a car and losing 10, 20% on it. The moment I drove it,
I just felt, wow, this just feels right, and so that was it.
That was it.
And how many miles roughly, PP, if you can recall, since purchase?
Oh, I've done a fraction under 5,000 miles in the car,
like this.
Yeah, very much driven, and somewhat peppered after this last trip, but it was quite a revelation
actually driving it, and you'll appreciate that I've been very fortunate of access to
quite a number of cars, and it would be definitely one of the last I would get rid of.
Okay, okay, I want to come back to that because that's a really interesting point. Tim?
So, manual speed yellow, one of two speed yellow Cayman R's in the UK, apparently,
the only manual one. It doesn't have sports chrono, there will be some upgrades that come
to that car in the future. Purchased it beginning of November with the help of Ben,
because it was very local to where he lived. He actually looked at the car on my behalf and made
sure it was a good car before I made the necessary arrangements to go and actually buy it.
Also featured on fifth gear, which I think has to be mentioned. I bought it because last year
I bought a very cheap 986 Boxster and found the love for the bin engine Porsche. And also,
from going on the Stuttgart trip with you guys last year, I felt that more road trips are necessary
and a GT3 wasn't going to work for some of them. And the Cayman R was sort of sat somewhere between
the two weirdly. So, yeah, bought it. This has been the trip I was waiting for.
We've had a very rainy winter, so it's been out in a bit. But I've absolutely bonded with
that car this weekend. And like you, PP, it will be the last one to go if financial situations
change. Yeah, I love it. I adore that car. And with some more upgrades, I think it will be a car
that will stay around for a long time for me. Okay, so you're thinking of upgrading the car,
so that suggests you're not quite happy with it? No, no, no, upgrading bits on the car. So,
I want to get a bit more noise from it, a bit more intake, exhaust. And yeah, as much as it's
quite, it doesn't have any sat nav as a radio, that's about it, no air conditioning. So, yeah,
PCCM Plus will be a great add-on to that. Yeah, completely agree. I think there's actually a
very important question that we need to ask, bearing in mind your podcast with the next
generation is, what does Ollie think of the car? Well, he was, yeah, my son Ollie is, you know,
the main reason I bought it, because, you know, he said it's incredibly rare, this color, you're
not going to get offered another one like it. So, for God's sake, go and get it. And we can talk
about the next Porsche purchase in the future. Yeah, he's hoping to pass his test next month and
be in the driving seat. That's an interesting point, the appeal to the next generation,
because we've all seen how long bonnets are just struggling at the moment, and the sort of cars
that Ollie and all of us have children, what do they like? He's enjoyed it. And actually,
when I first bought it, I think I went to a Cars and Coffee and bumped into Toby Dyer,
and he said, I bet you that will become your favorite car. And I think he's bang on there.
Really? Yeah, okay, okay. So, what I just want to hone in on that, Tim, if you don't mind. So,
what makes you love that Cayman R so much over other things in the garage and previous acquisitions?
I feel a better driver in it, that's for sure, because of the mid-engine layout.
It talks to you when you're driving it, you know, there's a bit of
twitch from the chassis, but it, yeah, it seems to, you can flick the back end out and catch it
and carry on your journey. And yeah, it just, it's a very, just a good road presence and,
you know, ability to take some twisty roads relatively quickly for me.
But I think also just a point on that is that it's not over the top on the road. It's not
offensive. So, if you are enjoying it on the roads, it's a smaller car. It's not lairy. It
doesn't have a loud exhaust in most cases. Yeah, less aggressive to others.
Less aggressive to others, very much so. And it's a pretty car. And it is definitely less offensive
to people. And if you're on a road trip and, you know, three GT3s go past, it's like,
mention the name, Tim. Yeah, yeah, something like that.
Yeah, by comparison.
Yeah. And it doesn't draw attention, which is, I've always preferred slightly under the radar.
And that's quite important.
Yeah, so I've had my car coming up to 18 months now. And if I'm frank, it was never,
it was never going to be a permanent fixture in my, in my garage. I, it was a car that really
intrigued me. But I knew that if I was going to get one, it had to be buckets and it had to be
manual. And I think I set up a search on auto trader and piston heads maybe a year before I got
mine. And I would see them occasionally hit the market and there would be another one came up
and it was PDK or it was manual without buckets. And then I think it was a week before Christmas
and it just, it flinged up. It was a white one. It was, it was low mileage buckets, manual,
sport chrono, sports exhaust. I was like, Oh my God, this is going to cause me problems.
Because actually I was in the market for a 981 spider. That was what I thought I wanted.
And I thought to myself, well, I'll buy this Cayman R. I'll run it for a couple of months.
And when the right 981 spider comes up, I'll flog it on and buy the 981 spider. But not long
after collecting it, I knew that that actually was going to be a really difficult car to move on.
And for all of the reasons that Paul and Tim have mentioned, I feel like less is more right in a car.
I think it definitely does compliment you as a driver. I don't think I'm a particularly
good driver, but as a 987 Cayman R, I think does flatter your ego in terms of what you're capable
of doing, but also the amount of power. And again, coming back to Toby Dyer, you know,
he talks about around 300 horsepower and around 1200 kilos on the road. So at about 330 horsepower,
about 1200 kilos, perfectly weighted, but power that you can live at the red line and you're not
causing anyone to fence you within the speed limit, bouncing off the rev limiter, right?
Whereas in a 991 GT3 or a 992 GT3 that you can't actually get to that red line
and not be breaking the law in a severe way. So it can be quite frustrating to not extract
the power from the car. Whereas the Cayman R, you're living at the absolute max and you're
still only doing 60 miles an hour or... Yeah, it's a real world sports car.
A real world sports car. And real starts with an R.
Yeah, so mine was 19,000 when I picked it up and it's on 26,000 now. So yeah, so about 6,000 miles.
But that's, I've been really cautious not to stick loads and miles on it because it was a really
low mileage car and I didn't want to be that guy that put 30,000 miles on it. Whereas really,
I should just be out enjoying it all the time, shouldn't I? Yeah, I don't think it's going to
make much difference now. I think that the spec, they're very spec dependent and like everything,
barn condition and maintenance. And that car, if you put 10,000, 15,000 on it now,
it won't go below a certain level now. Yeah, and I agree. I agree.
I want to come on to values shortly if that's okay. Gents, Steve, can we jump to you?
Yeah, so actually my first Porsche was a 2.9 white, same spec. So my R is white with black decals.
And I was, when I was, when I was looking, I've been looking for an R since about 2018.
And like when I had the opportunity, I couldn't find the car I wanted,
manual buckets and I really wanted AC. Like, you know, I get the lightweight ethos. I get all of that.
But on track or even on a day like this, they get hot in there. The engine is right behind you.
And so for me, it was a deal breaker. And I completely get people that had it away.
And I love that. But for me, I needed the AC and they came up infrequently. And when they did,
I wasn't in a position. And when I was in a position, they didn't come up. And so I ended
up going to Andy at Williams Crawford. And because he had a white 2.9, really don't mileage car.
And actually, whilst it was down there, he said, why don't we stick the,
why don't we stick the decals on the, on the, on the bottom and make it a bit arry.
And I was like, why not treat yourself. So I did that. And it obviously doesn't,
it definitely doesn't drive in the R style. But I really liked the aesthetic.
And that I fell in love with that mid-engine being able to rotate the car on the brake in a way
that you just can't do in many other cars. That I just love that trailing out and having it just
change direction. Absolutely fantastic. So, but that car didn't last particularly long.
And instead of going into an R, I went into a 981 GT4. So big step up that car. Again,
anything with that GT kind of non-clamenture. They are too much for the road. Top of seconds,
83 or something, you know, you know, again, you can't ring them out great on track, but not so,
you can't really make use of them on the road. So eventually roll on a few years,
ended up with the RS60. Again, 987.1. I just fell in again, fell, fell back in love with that,
with that mid-engine. And then this car came up at Harbour, Harbour Guys. And it was just like,
yeah, it's manual buckets, AC, yes please. And, and, and yeah, I chopped in the RS60 for it.
And I knew before I'd got off their tarmac, I like they pulled it out. And I knew when we did
the test drive, because they were doing a borescope on the 987, just to make sure she was golden.
She was, I just rolled off the kerb, turned left. I already knew. I was just like, this is right
up my street. I like a car that's, you know, it just feels a little bit more focused. I've got a
lot of Alcantara in there. And that always makes it feels a little bit racier. And it's got Sports
Chrono 64 litre tank, which is an absolute, of all of the options, that's the one you want.
For me, like over this weekend, it's been, it's been a great addition. You're not, you're not
range anxiety as you're bowling around. And so yeah, and I absolutely love it. It has, as the others
have said, on the road, it's all the car you need. And when you will get onto this, but
with all of these things, like it's, it's cost versus value. And the Cayman R is a,
is a car where the, I feel that for me and what I like and how I drive, the value massively outweighs
the cost it really does in a way that perhaps the GT4 didn't, the car is worth more. And it's,
and it's a far more complete car. And I loved it. I mean, I respect it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I knew once, because I test drove a 981 Spyder and I knew once I'd driven
the R that I wasn't going 981 because I just feel the R delivers everything in a kind of natural
way. Whereas maybe in the 981 Spyder that the pops and the bangs are maybe engineered in that
you haven't quite got the steering feel that you've got in the hydraulic steering.
But I thought something occurred to me this weekend, particularly following PP in his little
R. Like I've had the great fortune in my life to follow this man, Paul Pressland, around a long
part of the, a big part of the globe in various cars, whether it be a 930, an ST, a 7184 litre GTS,
or a Cayman R, and maybe with the exception of his early 930, this man is on fire in that Cayman R.
I'm very humbled by that then. Steve, you summed it up. When you drive, literally I hadn't
done 100 yards in the car on a test drive, and I just knew that it was, there was something about
it. And it's, this isn't about, you know, we've all joked about the fluffing and stuff. It's just
trying to put why in essence those cars, as I say, real world sport cars. But I think Steve hit the
point, hit the nail on the head when he said kind of value wise, right? Because everything's moved
on a bit. Okay, so the Cayman R's value wise are probably where they were when they were brand new
now, but everything else has gone up. So if you look at a base 911 Carrera is a lot more now than it
was in 2010, 2011, right? But the Cayman R value has kind of stayed the same. So the fact that you
can get into this car for that kind of money compared to other things, it just seems like
pound per smile. Just something I'd like to touch on. So the guests sitting around the table,
you've all got other cars, it's fair to say, so that, you know, the R isn't a one car proposition,
because, you know, you still have got other stuff in the stable. Is that fair or?
Yeah, well, I'd say across the group, across the Kroc group, there's various owners in there. So
there's some people where there are is their only sports car. And then there's other people that
have had a wide, wide variety of Porsches and people in the middle as well. So it does kind
of unite a big, big kind of group of people, right? I have to say that, again, others have said,
with the, if everything had to go, and you could only have one, it is, it is the one. It is,
I love the aesthetics of that helps, right? It's not a car that you look at. I still look back
and go like that is that's a good looking car. But and I think Ben mentioned it, we're not Chris
Harris, right? But in that car, you can learn so much. And it's so progressive in the way that
it talks to you can turn the traction off and and the car talks, it's got that MX five roll to it,
but not as rolly. So the car, you can, you know what the back ends doing, you know what the front
ends doing, you can rotate the car on the break, you know, there's you have to spend a lot of money
to get that sort of talking and communication through hydraulic steering, all of that stuff is
chattering to you. If you go back, if you go earlier, you get that, you know, like you go
into the, I think the most chatty car I've ever had was the SC the air cooled car. I mean, it was,
that's really communicative, but there are a lot of limits to those cars. Whereas this feels
like it's got that modernity, where it's the dot two. So it's, it's got the slight uplift,
the PCC and plus is going to sell very well for those 997.2987 kind of the era cars that's going
to do Porsche Porsche really well. So it sits really nicely there, but it feels like it talks to
you like an older car. And I, you know, I'm sure there are other cars out there that do that,
but it's also not 3.8911. Say your hair off and, you know, off you go is there is limits to it.
There is a flat spot in the, in the, in the rev range, because it really kicks it for, that's
when it really, it's a bit V tech in that year for, and then it pops. But there is a flat spot
between, I don't know, two and three, two and a half, three and a half, which you can map out.
And I know some of the Cayman are, and as Nick Jeffrey has had that mapped out, and you know,
that's really interesting to me. And it's just that progress, right? You start, you can feel the,
you can feel the traction grabbing you as you're coming out of corners. So you turn that off,
once you're comfortable, you turn that off. And then it's that flat spot gets in the way,
because it hasn't quite pulled, because you haven't quite got the right gear. And so you,
you know, you can map that out. And I really do think you can make that car the perfect car for
you without having to do, you know, lots of re-engineering. The base recipe is just very,
very good. That's such a lovely articulation of everything you said there, Steve, like it makes
me want a Cayman, I don't know, and, and on else around the table is thinking of that.
Steve Cavanaugh is good at that, isn't he? Articulating why your car is so special. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah. Is there a car from another manufacturer that someone would say it's close
to? Well, the obvious one is the Alpine. Yes. 110 Lotus, I'm sorry, you know more
Lotus than I do, but the, is it the Exige? I had an Exige Series 2, I think they, yeah.
But I think the Alpine 110, but of course, that's only a whatever box it is,
but auto or a sequential. And that's it, PP, right? So I can't fathom why,
because I'm a three-pedal guy, I like, I like, I like to, I like to roll the gears.
I can't fathom, and I would probably have an Alpine 110 if they made it with, with a manual
gearbox. But actually, I think the Cayman R probably is the Alpine 110, right? You can get the
Alpine 110 with a manual gearbox and a flat six engine. Isn't going back to the essence of what
a sports car is, I mean, and this sort of, this sort of drive for power, this, the horsepower
chasing or the, the, the torque and the this and the costs go up and sports cars should be
enjoyed by everybody. And you want to go back onto values at some point, but I don't really want
those cars to go up in value. I want any, you know, everybody to have their entry level.
I was going to ask that because they've, like a manual Cayman R, they've sat at
mid 30s for the last 10 years prior to the last sort of 12 months or so. They've just been so
steady, haven't they? And yeah, within that last year, there has been a, a slight appreciation.
The buzzword that you're saying is accessibility in terms of performance, but the other side is
accessibility monetarily relative to other Porsches out there. It's great value and that
possibly perhaps allows you to use the car or push the car a bit more.
It absolutely does. Yeah. And if you think about track days, right, you know, that car is, is a
great track. A big track, you'll get embarrassed, right? You know, like Silverstone, there are
better, that's your GT4 all day long there than your GT3 or whatever else, you know,
you'll get embarrassed on a track like that. But on a, on a, on a tighter circuit, they're
incredible. And, but the thing is, is you're whatever into that, it's, it's a 35, 40, 45
grand car, right? The track insurance for it is way less than a, than, than some of the other
metal that you can get. So actually the accessibility or affordability of being able to put it on
track and be comfortable in that environment, you know, that's, it's a good, it's, it's,
it's something that you feel you could do. Whereas other stuff, you're looking at 7800
quid to get your GT3 on track, but you know, every track date becomes more and more expensive.
Whereas the R is not that it's, it's, you know, it's MX5 money to get on track.
Does anybody here wish you'd bought your R earlier?
Yeah. And I think there's a lot of cars I wouldn't have bought as a consequence of that.
Because you, you're searching for that car that provides you with the ability to go away,
road trips, Europe. So yeah, there's probably a lot of cars I probably wouldn't have bought
about had an R. Yeah, it would have changed my decision if I had bought one sort of five,
10 years ago, I probably would have, you know, not had a GT3, I might have had a GT4. Just that
mid-engine-ness has, has really sort of hit a good chord with me.
Then also, you know, you talk about a product in its environment, right? So I live up here,
Northumberland are my home roads. And, you know, of the cars that I've got at my disposal,
the R is the best car for my look. We don't live in Switzerland. We don't have buttery,
smooth tarmac, right? We've got rutted, twisty B roads, and the way that they are
manages to seem to float over this. It's an incredible, the compliancy and the way that it
soaks up bumps and lumps and bumps. Because it's not dealing with weight, right?
Yeah, that lightness, you can definitely feel that. But it is so even in a car, if you go down a road
in different cars, so if, you know, if you're fortunate enough to be able to
travel down the same road, you've got some local roads that you go out in different things,
the R is, again, just that thing where you go, you're thinking, yeah, that would have
bounced me in another car in the GT3 or the this or the that, that would have,
that would have had me unsettled. And the R's just gone, thank you very much.
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we're going this way. Are we good? Lovely stuff.
You know, it just, you know, is, you know, I kind of think of it as a bit of a cheat code,
but it's such a juxtaposition because you're working for it, like some of the older stuff,
but it's also like complimenting you without it being electronical assistance. And, you know,
I'm sure there was obviously some of that in there, but it is that, it really is that juxtaposition
of really looks after you, but you get out of it like today, we've been batting around all day,
like the old shoulders, I know I've been, I know I've been out and about, you know,
the old back of the shoulders is, you know, had a bit of a sweat on, and
but that's what you want. I love a car that makes you work for it, but I don't want something that
makes me work for it and still puts me in a hedge. You know, I want that. I need the other side of it.
I would have lost you guys today if I was in the GT3, I think, you know, the Cayman R was,
was the, the perfect car for this trip and I kept up with you and I had the confidence to do that
as well, which was great. Is there any questions from any of our legendary collective members?
Yeah, I think there's a mic kicking about. Actually, Max, it was a question for you because
I did offer you the keys to the Cayman R and you refused. Yeah, I didn't like the look of it.
Right, then let's go to, let's go tomorrow. We've got two minutes, I think.
So the question I've got for you is, well, what are its weaknesses? Every car has them.
Yeah, every car has, has its weaknesses. I would say that the, the brakes, maybe,
aren't quite as good as other Porsche brakes. I mean, Porsche are known for having fabulous
brakes, right? But maybe the brakes aren't quite strong, but I would say that that weakness is
probably a positive because as someone who's new to sports cars, the ability to heel and toe
on in the Cayman R, because you can really lean on that brake pedal as you get your foot across.
Yeah, the brake is definitely the, the one of the classic ones that people talk around.
Like you can, you stick the GT3 master cylinder into it and it firms up the pedal. Of course,
some R's do have ceramics, right? So different gravy. Again, I've never driven a ceramic car,
so, but yeah, you can, there's things that you can do. I mean, I think the, I think the,
the steel brakes standard from factory are actually absolutely fine until you start to
really push on. My last question is really, how was the car received at the time
by the press and by, by, you know, the buying public at the time when it came out?
I think it's got that classic moniker problem, maybe a bit like the RS Spyder this time round,
like putting the R moniker on it. I think was one of the challenges because that says, you know,
that you're writing a check there and the car absolutely has to cash and, and that's a big
check. And I don't know what they would have had to have done to that car
to be able to, to really, to be able to carry that R moniker.
I know I think that's a great question though. Like if you speak to somebody who was selling
Porsches in period in 2010, 2011, they couldn't get rid of them. The dealers were specking them,
they were sitting on the forecourt, nobody wanted them, nobody wanted them. It was five grand extra
over an S, right? That's got less stuff in it. They couldn't, they couldn't sell them, right?
Which is part of the reason why there's so few of them.
Is that why the number is what it is? Because that's the number that they could get rid of.
There wasn't a limited run, nobody, nobody wanted one.
So it becomes rare because it was unwanted.
Or misunderstood, right? Because, and I don't think you can choose any Porsche sports car
based on the spreadsheet statistics. But if you look at the spreadsheet statistics and
compare it to a Cayman standard or a Cayman S, then why would you get one, right?
Well, maybe it was correctly understood in its time, but now it looks different.
Case in point 996 GT3 RS. Yeah, 964. No one wanted a 964 at 12 grand. I know it's not when it was
new, but you know. Yeah, but when they were new, 996 GT3 RS is what, 667 produced in total.
And they couldn't sell them. They just sat in dealerships.
James, quick question to finish. Yeah, just to finish up, obviously, on the anti-fluffing
brigade at this end of the table. Steve has very kindly let me drive his on a number of
occasions. Last year in Wales, I didn't press the sport button, which I think was a big mistake
having pressed the sport button yesterday. There's no doubt it's a pretty unique car in
terms of its feel. I think just following on from Mark's question about what potentially might be
the kind of downfalls of it or the negatives. To me, it feels like a car that you go in and you
do drive pretty hard. And would I take my partner in that car on a long journey? Absolutely no.
For me, it's a car I would definitely consider, but its purpose would be
to come to Northumberland or Wales and do those A and B roads.
If I could interject there, sorry, James. I would probably say that of the ridiculous
Porsches that I own, became an RS probably one of the very few that I could convince my wife to
come along in. Well, that's great. We're going to wrap things up because we're here at our lovely
hotel at the end of a fantastic weekend with a collective. We are going to have our dinner
and wrap things up. I just want to say, we've joked about this being like a fluffing exercise,
but the reality is absolutely for listeners at home. There's a hell of a lot of experience around
the table, so it's a real privilege to just kind of have a little bit of insight into your
minds as to why the Cayman R is such a compelling sports car and Porsche sports car. So thanks for
taking the time to do that today. Obviously, we're never ever ever going to see one for sale ever
again now. So those in the room, you've got about a week's head start before Andy gets his published,
but to Paul, to Tim, to Ben and Steve, thank you very much for shining a light on the Cayman R.
Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome.
This episode is brought to you by the Driven Not Hidden Collective.
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About this episode
Four Cayman R owners dig into why the 987.2 “R” has become a real-world Porsche sports car benchmark—less about rarity on paper and more about what it feels like to drive. They compare specs (buckets, manual vs pdk, LSD, weight savings, aero bits) and discuss how Sport mode and traction control settings change the car’s personality. The group shares ownership stories, track/road value arguments, and even period press skepticism over the “R” name. Weaknesses like braking feel and comfort trade-offs come up too.
Is this the purest modern Porsche ever produced? In this episode of 9WERKS Radio, we are joined by a "quad-squad" of 987.2 Cayman R owners from the Driven Not Hidden Collective to find out why this stripped-out special has become the definitive modern classic of 2026.
While the 981 and 718 GT4s might have more power and "mini-supercar" looks, the Cayman R is the final stand for hydraulic steering and a sub-1,300kg curb weight. Our four guests break down the reality of owning the "R" – from the iconic pull-strap doors and carbon bucket seats to the sublime balance that only 330hp in a mid-engine chassis can provide.
In this Cayman R Owners Roundtable:
Steering Perfection: Why the transition to electric steering in later models makes the 987.2 R feel "alive" in comparison.
The Weight Debate: Does saving 55kg over a Cayman S really transform the car on a twisty UK B-road?
Spec Warfare: Manual vs. PDK, and why the Carbon Buckets (P03) and Sports Exhaust (PSE) are the non-negotiable "must-haves" for 2026 buyers.
Real-World Values: With Cayman R prices solidifying, is this the last "safe" place to put your money in the Porsche world?
Living with the R: Four owners share their stories of track days, European tours, and why they haven't "traded up" to a GT4.
The Cayman R "Holy Grail" Checklist
If you're hunting for one of these in 2026, our owners agree these are the specs that define the experience:
Transmission: 6-speed manual for the purists, though the 7-speed PDK is surprisingly sharp.
Interior: Carbon fiber bucket seats are essential for both the feel and the future resale value.
Air conditioning: Yes, it added weight, but it gets hot in there without it!
Wheels: The ultra-lightweight 19" Spyder alloys are a must for that unsprung weight advantage.
‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.
The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, and 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support us by joining the 9WERKS Driven Not Hidden Collective you can do so by hitting the link below, your support would be greatly appreciated.
