My take on a 987 version of the GT4

It's been painted. The colour is Porsche 964RS Maritime blue, one day i would love to own the real deal but for now i will have to make do with the Cayman

The 964RS is an uncomfortable antique for the road.

Stick with what you've got.

Ok guys! so i finally have a little time to sit down and start to tell the story of my Cayman. I'm currently developing a turbocharger kit for the 987 with Regal Autosport, so i have some down time without the car to reflect back on the last 12 months.

Bear with me, it begins like most 987 builds... but will get more interesting towards the end!

I've been very fortunate to be able to run this project in GT Porsche magazine, so the shots and text you will see in these updates were originally published in the mag - it's an awesome publication that you should all be subscribers of!

I've long been searching for the right moment to enter the world of 911 ownership, it's a terrible cliché but as a kid it was always 911 models that excited me the most. From Bad Boys to Rothmans Rally Cars, I always thought 911s were cool. Not too flash and packed with engineering, the Porsche 911 was always the car for me. With that in mind, you might be surprised to find that my perfect first 911 is actually a Cayman, but bear with me while I explain my reasoning...

Given an unlimited budget, narrowing down which 911 to purchase is a pretty pleasant experience, but back to the real world where desirable Porsche prices rocket faster than you submit an AutoTrader search the GT3 dream slips further and further out of reach. When Porsche seed was first planted some 6-7 years ago you could pick up a half decent 964 for around £15,000. With the benefit of hindsight perhaps I should have pulled the trigger back then and these words would read very differently. Knowing that whichever Porsche I chose would see track action I decided to look at the lower priced options on the table, rather than going in big and potentially ruining an investment in a tangle of twisted metal.

For not much more cash than a two-year-old Volkswagen Golf you can have the keys to a fair few modern Porsche models and as a huge 911 fan the search began with low mileage 996 3.6s and higher mileage 997s. It quickly became apparent that any of the potential suitors would need fairly heavy adaptation to be suitable for track use. Around this time I kept stumbling upon Cayman track builds online and the mind cogs started turning. It may not be the 996 GT3 I'd once dreamed of, but as an entry into Porsche ownership it's not a terrible place to start.

Upon investigation it seemed the 987 Cayman S was a critics favorite, being described as more nimble and forgiving than a 911. The added bonus of luggage space front and back seemed pretty cool too, but where's the catch? Aside from 'not being a 911' it really didn't seem there was one, so the search cranked up a notch.

Knowing I would be at very least changing the seats and remapping the car, my ideal spec was a silver car with reasonable mileage, PASM and a Porsche Sports Exhaust. Sports Chrono seemed an unneeded frivolity I didn't want navigation or anything that would add too much weight. By this point the idea of creating my own Clubsport style Cayman had grown out of any reasonable proportion, to the point where I already had excel spread sheets full of aftermarket parts.

Then, as if by fate (or more likely obsessive trawling of the internet), the perfect car came up just 20 miles away. In an instant I'd been on the phone and asked to view the car and arranged a time. That evening, a slightly bemused, now ex-owner chuckled 'that was the fastest sale in the history of anyone ever selling cars, was it underpriced?' Probably, but I'd got my silver Cayman S.
The next evening I collected the car and began to get to know it in earnest. Driving back in traffic I couldn't work out if I'd made the right decision and it's by no means love a first sight. I'd be lying if I told you I didn't really really like the guards red seatbelts and dials, but maybe that's the soft styling rubbing off on me. With my name firmly on the logbook it's full steam ahead to mold this car into the perfect track and road machine, but first things first, lets put a smaller steering wheel in so I can actually get out...

Click to expand...

Having picked the 987 up miraculously under-budget, I dangerously found myself with some spare cash. Although in great overall condition, it was due a major service. The seller had advertised the car as including this service, which gifted me some discount leverage. Knowing I had a specialist in mind to take care of it elsewhere the arm-twisting could commence. With Forge Motorsport's annual track day at Castle Combe booked, it seemed the ideal opportunity to combine the service with the first round of modifications.



Often equipped beyond dealer level in both equipment and training, a local independent specialist is a great way of servicing your Porsche. By no means local, my chosen specialist to get the Cayman up to scratch is Regal Autosport in Southampton. No stranger to these pages, the guys at Regal specialise in making water cooled Porsches obscenely fast, as well as taking care of high-level repairs and servicing. Having campaigned a 997 in the Carrera Cup, plus being distributors for EVOMS and Sharkwerks, I knew my Cayman would be in safe hands.



Eager to see how the Cayman would fare on track, I dropped it off to Regal with a boot full of extras, accidently proving the practicality of the mid engine layout in the process. I knew I wanted to keep the PASM system active, so I chose an ST suspensions spring kit to bring the body 30mm closer to the deck and close up the arch gap. The factory PASM has often been criticized for being too soft, then dramatically too hard with no middle ground, and I'm inclined to agree. However, in fitting the ST springs the softer PASM setting now gives a firmer but still compliant ride around town but when stiffened is no more harsh than before, which really is how it should have been from factory. To suit the new focus for the car, Regal set the geometry to a much more 'track' orientation.



At the same time as installing the springs, Regal also fitted each corner with a 15mm ST spacer that widens the track and makes the Cayman a whole lot more purposeful looking. While on the subject of looking purposeful, a JTC front lip spoiler strengthens the trademark Cayman weak chin, and does a great job of reducing front-end lift too. Along with the service, Regal upgraded the spark plugs and renewed the heat damaged coil packs. It's worth noting that after the remedial work the engine is much more responsive and perky, the new coil packs breathing new life into the stock drivetrain.



The final improvement to aesthetics came as a bit of a happy accident at the Porsche Club Great Britain annual meet. Noticing a Boxster Spyder sporting some interesting looking side vents, I sneakily noted down the chassis number and ordered a pair in the hope they might fit. With some less than gentile persuasion they do fit and make a huge difference to the visuals.







Unhappy with the limp brake pedal feel even on the road, the first 'GT' part to find its way onto the car is in the form of a GT3 brake master cylinder. Along with a set of braided brake lines and Castrol SRF brake fluid, Chris at Regal recommended this would make a massive difference to the braking confidence and it certainly does. Although not making the brakes anymore powerful, with more feel and more modulation it's proved an important ally in the battle against much better equipped cars and is a regular upgrade for 987s and 996/997s that pass through Regal's workshops.









Around the fast Combe track the Cayman coped astonishing well. With modest brakes, well worn road tyres and 'just' 295bhp it had no right to lap as quickly as it did. All day it was smooth and competent, never missing a beat. I definitely think the Cayman and I are friends now, with fantastically neutral steering the new ride height and track geometry really came into their own on the drying circuit. Needless to say the Cayman really impressed me as a track car, especially considering the mild modifications. It bodes well for the future and I really cant wait to get some more hardcore modifications under its skin and hit the circuit for round two.

I do like that, great work! Good colour too

Keep the updates coming :thumbs: