beeeeeep to indicate when you’re getting
close - extremely handy when you’re
worried about ‘kerbing’ the wheels at a
£1,000 a go (!!) and I was in a car heaven.
Craig, the Salesman, had taken the time
to talk me through the controls, and
explain what each of the of the buttons
meant and when he told me this was
probably his favourite Porsche out of all
the ones he’d driven, this only served to
heighten my eagerness to drive off and
test whether it really could do 0-62mph
in 4.9 seconds.
After setting my phone to Bluetooth,
I finally pulled away (albeit gingerly it
must be said). I was immediately able
to appreciate the power of the 3.4 litre
flat-six mid engine, with 325 bhp and the
seven-speed dual automatic transmission.
This was going to be good!
Now let me put you in the picture. I was
due to take my wife to an event, which
long story short, was cancelled. So
with this in mind and the prospect of a
beautifully sunny weekend ahead, I did
what any normal person would do in
my situation… I drove straight down to
Brighton seafront and happily join the
traffic jam along Kings Road, Madeira
Drive and Marine Parade, windows down,
elbow out, Ray Bans on and appropriate
music for sharing with the other road
users! A few “nice car mate” comments
came my way. For once I felt I had the
best car on the road and that every other
driver was looking at me with envious
eyes. Oh and I made sure I had the ‘Sport’
mode on! Cue the loud exhaust and
occasional revving for effect!
The following day Mr and Mrs Elphick
took a trip down to the seafront at
Seaford so I was able to put my foot
down a little and see what the Cayman
was really about. She performed
beautifully, with superb grip and
handling in the corners. The acceleration
was invigorating and to say she was
extremely agile and responsive doesn’t
do her justice…a little bit like trying to
describe the Grand Canyon to someone
who’s never been…Its not as good as
experiencing it for yourself!
For all you petrol consuming worriers out
there; I did 173 miles over the weekend
and it only used half a tank! (It does 35.3
miles per gallon) Brilliant!
Oh yes, and one more thing; the
‘G-Force’ dial…I kept that displayed all
the time whilst never being quite sure
what its purpose was…it just seemed
so much fun and just like the Porsche
Cayman, so right. It was a magnificent
weekend…. we were compatible in many
ways – and it’s certainly one I won’t
forget in a hurry.
Is there a downside to driving the
Cayman? Only that you can’t see the
outside at the same time...
By Laurence Elphick
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