HISTORY

Porsche is a talented manufacturer of cars - possibly the best - but it's arguably a company that’s at its zenith when refining and evolving rather than revolutionising. The company’s bread and butter these days might be high-margin SUVs, however, when that profit filters its way back to the sports car division and years are spent honing the details, magical things can happen. This is because Porsche invests in getting the basics on point - or in the case of the 911, doggedly overcomes inherent flaws.

One of those magical moments occurred in the 987 Cayman R. This was a sublime mid-engine sports car with a perfect 47:53 balance, a vocal flat-six engine and stripped of non-essential luxuries with a tightened chassis. It was driver-centric. It was lighter. It was tighter. It was faster. 55kg had been axed from the kerb weight and the engine was massaged, but it had a major problem - a huge metaphorical weight rested on its lithe shoulders - its name.

You see, in die-hard Porsche circles, the R designation is sacred, a holy grail that resides above even an RS. Only once before had it graced a Stuttgart product - the 911R of 1967. Just 20 were made and each was a hardcore road-going version of a racecar. It was a homologation special before the term existed. Only it went much further - almost every component was lightened, resulting in a car that weighed an astonishing 210kg less than a regular production 911. With 230bhp, the original 810kg(!) 911 R is the pinnacle, and rightly revered.

Porsche dusting off the name and the marketing department talking the Cayman R up as the most hardcore yet did it no favours. The Cayman had no factory racing program. It was a well-known dirty secret that the two-seater had the goods to outshine the superstar 911 if truly let off the leash. But why would Porsche shoot itself in the foot? The 911 is an icon - and far more profitable. Consequently, the Cayman didn't receive an LSD until 2009 (even then it was an expensive optional extra) and the power output was always pegged to keep the junior car in its place.

The Cayman S got close to the base Carrera in pure performance terms, but a sneaky tactic of fitting excruciatingly long gearing (with third stretching to 110mph) stopped an upset. However, the R had been on just enough of a diet to tip the scales in its favour - this was the first Cayman to offer a superior power-to-weight ratio than a 911.