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Originally Posted by Ronzi
I understand your point(s), and to some extent share them, Perfectlap. But if you are correct that old farts buy the Carreras and the true enthusiasts buy the Box, and hopefully the Cayman, then why are PCA driving events (DE and auto-x) wall-to-wall with Carreras but Boxsters are thin upon the ground?
At one time I thought the Cayman was going to be the platform on which Porsche built it's future GT racing success, but after repeated denials of any such ambition from Porsche, I am beginning to take them at their word. The factory continues to say that the 911 will remain the platform of choice for their production car racing program, and will never, not ever, use the Boxster platfrom, inculding the Cayman, for racing.
If this is true I have to scratch my head a little about the reason for the introduction of the Cayman. Racey guys want racey cars, and nothing is racier than the street version of whatever the factory is racing. For the forseeable future that remains the 911.
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Around these neck of the woods Boxsters and 996 Carreras are fairly even in numbers at DE and Autocross. Now there are many 993 and older 911's and well that tips the scales in favor of the Carreras. And Most of the 996 seen at these events are the far more expensive versions of the Standard Carrera.
As far as Porsche and their plans for racing the Cayman, well we all know what would happen if Porsche put up a lighter, better handling, shorter wheelbase, similarly powered car against their flagship car. This would be a HUGE problem from a marketing point of view if the cheaper car was consistently outperforming the more expensive within the same formula.
So yes I too believe Porsche when they the Cayman won't be the car for LeMans success. Better to let sleeping dogs lie.
And no I don't predict the Cayman to sell in big numbers because like the Carrera, for the performance you get there are far better alternatives for the money. Most purist are driving enthusiasts first and sportscar guys second.
The kind of buyer who would snatch up a Lotus Elise if not for the $50K price tag, that kind of money for a Toyota 1.8? No thanks. Ditto on the Cayman, just too expensive.
I read somewhere that the average income for a Porsche owner is $500K. I think most new Porsche car buyers will never go anywhere near a track or autocross.
Porsche have to decide whether their flaggship car will be driven by the customer demographic (and their required backseat) or driven by uncompromised performance. With plans for a four door sportscar and the SUV accounting for 40% of sales, Porsche are losing their edge and cashing in on the brand.