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Porsche 981 Cayman - The Story

The second generation Cayman was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The Porsche 981 was the internal designation given to the third-generation of the Boxster and second generation of the Cayman. The 981 generation Cayman got a beautiful design update as well as revised engine and transmission specifications. The chassis was also revised, now 40 percent more rigid, with the front track 40 mm wider and the rear track 18 mm wider. The wheelbase was also extended by 60 mm. he new car was available in both the standard trim with a 2.7-litre engine, and in the S trim with a 3.4-litre engine.

Porsche 981 Model Timeline

Porsche 981 Cayman Model Guides (2013 - 2016)

The Cayman S benefitted from the same engine and running gear as Porsche's latest 3.4-litre version of the 911 while the base Cayman a 2.7-litre engine. The Cayman GTS was introduced in 2014 and it got a slightly more powerful engine, a new body kit, new 20-inch Carrera S wheels, new Bi-Xenon headlights, and a new sports exhaust system. In 2015, the ultimate track oriented version of the Cayman was launched and it was an instant hit. The Cayman GT4 had a revised and a slightly de-tuned version of the 3.8-litre flat-six engine from the 911 (991) Carrera S. The GT4 was available only with a 6 speed manual transmission and weighed 1,340 kg, and had a number of track-focused options and hardware changes.

The 2013 model year saw the introduction of an all new platform, the new 981 Cayman. The differences between the 981 and 987 were significant, but not unexpected as many of the new technologies were already introduced in the new 991 and 981 Boxster. This is a big year with lots of changes in many areas. The base engine for the Cayman was a 2.7-liter flat-six unit that boosted out 236 hp and it was mated to a standard 5-speed gearbox. A 5-speed Tiptronic sequential gearbox was available as an option.
For 2013, Porsche gave us the new 981 generation Cayman. The Cayman S engine displacement is unchanged at 3.4 liters. Power is increased by 5 horsepower to 325, shooting the S from 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds while delivering as much as 30 miles per gallon (PDK & Sport Chrono+). There are two transmissions choices available in the 2013 Caymans, both carrying over from 2012. The Cayman S come standard with the 6 speed manual gearbox and 7 speed PDK was available as an option. The 981 Cayman S is arguably the best all around sports car that Porsche offers, the right balance between being fun and usable daily.
The Cayman GTS arrived a s 2014 model year car and boy was it special. It featured a marginally more powerful engine, a new body kit, new 20-inch Carrera S wheels, new Bi-Xenon headlights, and a new sports exhaust system. The Cayman GTS is longer than the Cayman and the Cayman S by 30.5 mm (1.2 in) due to its bumpers. The new, optional passive sport suspension allows the Cayman GTS to have a 20 mm lower ride height compared to the Cayman equipped with standard passive suspension or 10 mm lower compared to one with the standard-equipped PASM. Power was 330 bhp @ 6700 rpm and 0 - 60 mph was a brisk 4.1 seconds.
In 2015, Porsche announced the car we all thought Porsche would never build. It has been a few years since it has been released and the excitement It was the first time Porsche introduced lets the motorsports guys in Weissach sprinkle their magic on a Cayman. With components sourced from the 911 GT3, an engine carried over from a Carrera S and a tweaked and tuned chassis, brakes and aerodynamics, Porsche’s engineers did their best to produce the perfect mid-engine sports car for road and track use. Compared with the standard Cayman, the GT4’s chassis was lowered by 30mm and bigger brakes were added, with many aspects of its suspension carried over from the 911 GT3. Some serious motorsport kit. One of the best ever.

Porsche Cayman 981 Special Models

On 6 October 2015, Porsche announced a racing version of the Cayman GT4 called the Cayman GT4 Clubsport. As opposed to the road going Cayman GT4, the Clubsport version is fitted with Porsche's PDK double clutch transmission. For testing purposes Porsche Motorsport built a few tarmac rally cars based on the Cayman 981 GT4 racing version. The Cayman rally car was the course car for the WRC (World Rally Championship) 2018 ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The FIA R-GT Cup was contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC, like the German WRC event.

Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (2015 - 2016)
In 2015, Porsche announced the car we all thought Porsche would never build. It has been a few years since it has been released and the excitement It was the first time Porsche introduced lets the motorsports guys in Weissach sprinkle their magic on a Cayman. With components sourced from the 911 GT3, an engine carried over from a Carrera S and a tweaked and tuned chassis, brakes and aerodynamics, Porsche’s engineers did their best to produce the perfect mid-engine sports car for road and track use.
For testing purposes Porsche Motorsport built a few tarmac rally cars based on the Cayman 981 GT4 racing version. The Cayman rally car was the course car for the WRC (World Rally Championship) 2018 ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The FIA R-GT Cup was contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC, like the German WRC event. For Porsche, the entry of a concept study based on the near-production GT circuit race car was a critical test under real conditions.

Porsche Cayman 981 Specs & Performance Summary

The biggest difference we see in the 981 is that the Cayman engine displacement has been reduced from 2.9 liters back down to 2.7 liters (like it was in 2007). The new smaller Cayman engine actually makes 10 horsepower more than the big brother it has replaced. The Cayman S engine displacement is unchanged at 3.4 liters and power is up slightly. Performance increases across the board as you can see in the below numbers.

Porsche Cayman 981 (2013 - 2016) Data & Research

We dig into some of the data surrounding the 981 generation Porsche Cayman, including production numbers, specifications, chassis numbers, engine numbers, transmission codes, sales brochures and much more.

Porsche 981 Cayman Pictures, Galleries & Videos

Watch our curated Cayman 981 videos and galleries. We have everything from the early reviews to in-depth comparisons and journalists spanking the Cayman GT4 for all it is worth. This is a great way to spend a few hours.

Porsche Cayman News & Updates

Recent auctions, awesome review videos, new model announcements and all the latest news and posts regarding anything to do with the Porsche Cayman.

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