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The Porsche Cayman is a rear mid-engined, rear wheel drive, 2-seat luxury sports car produced by Porsche AG of Germany. First launched in the 2006 model year, the Cayman is a coupé derived from Porsche's second and third generation Boxster roadster.
Like the Boxster, most Caymans were assembled in Finland for Porsche by Valmet Automotive (the rest are assembled in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, Germany). Porsche's Deputy Chairman, Holger P. Haerter stated that their contract with Valmet Automotive would end in 2012, and the Cayman's production was to be outsourced to Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik of Graz, Austria. However, as Volkswagen assumed control of Porsche AG, that agreement fell through, and the production of both Caymans and Boxsters after 2012 is in the former Karmann plant in Osnabrück, Germany, now owned by Volkswagen and used for production of the 2012 Golf Cabriolet.
Cayman is an alternate spelling of caiman, a reptile in the same family as the alligator. The car is not named after the Cayman Islands; rather the islands also derive their name from the caiman. On the same day that the first Caymans arrived at dealerships for sale, Porsche adopted four caimans at Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.
Porsche has been protective of their Cayman trademark, and in 2009, the sports car maker brought an infringement lawsuit against Crocs, the maker of the popular rubber shoes. At issue was the footwear company's clog, also called Cayman. An injunction was granted against Crocs Europe, a division of the Longmont, Colorado based shoe company preventing their use in Germany of the Cayman name.
In 2015, the Cayman GT4 was introduced, based on the current Cayman, using the 911 (991) GT3 chassis, and the 3.8-liter flat-six engine from the earlier 997.2 generation 911 Carrera S. The GT4 is available only with a 6-speed manual transmission. As a nod to the 911 GT3 series, it has a fixed rear wing for providing downforce. Compared to the standard Cayman, it features a 30mm lower ride height, upgraded brakes, limited-slip differential, Porsche Torque Vectoring, and Porsche Active Suspension Management.
A Club Sport Package is also available, featuring a rear half-rollcage, preparation for a battery cut-off switch, a fire extinguisher, and a six-point racing harness for the driver, compatible with a neck-saving HANS device. The Sport Chrono Package, with the unique Track Precision app, is also available specifically for GT4, adding an additional ECU to the car to deliver telemetry data to the driver's smartphone.
In the United Kingdom, the GT4 could be ordered before its introduction at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March, and the first cars would arrive in dealerships in March. The price is £64,451. The Cayman GT4 had set a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of 7 minutes 40 seconds, 10 seconds slower than 911 (991) GT3.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.