Porsche Cayman S Joins the Stable

At some point in my love affair with cars I decided that mid-engined sports cars are the cat's meow for me. Unfortunately, all the affordable mid-engined cars available over the past 10 years have been convertibles. While I've owned a few 'verts in the past, they are not at the top of my interest list, for few reasons:

1) Their chassis rigidity is always a compromise compared to a fixed roof coupe.

2) They are much louder inside, even with the top on, than a coupe.

3) They look good only with the top down.

So, in my quest to own an affordable mid-engined sports car I've had to "settle" for buying convertibles with their optional hardtops and driving them exclusively with the hardtop on, even in the summers. Believe it or not, people think that is weird... go figure.



The first mid-engined car was a 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder; a new model for Toyota in their renewed attempt at attracting younger buyers. For me, it was a great choice becase it cost only $22K and it was so rare that I could get my money back if my fantasy of mid-engined car dynamics turned out to be a nighmare!

Well, the Spyder was a joy to drive. I kept it for a year and then sold it for the same amount as I bought it!



A year later I purchased a pre-owned 2000 Porsche Boxster S, also with a hardtop. I wanted a mid-engined coupe so badly that I had the soft top removed to get rid of its dead weight and drove the car for two years with the hardtop on the car. It was another mid-engined driving dream. I even took it to Laguna Seca Raceway in late 2003; that was a rush!

Yes, there is a pattern to the color :)

After returning from Laguna Seca I sold the Boxster... and continued to wait for a mid-engined coupe as the rumors of a Boxster coupe were indeed starting to increase in frequency... the waiting begins...



In late 2004, Lotus finally began importing their lightweight mid-engined Elise to the US. American car nuts had waited since 1996 for the Elise to get here; it was worth the wait. The yellow streak ended however; this time it was to be Burgundy.

The Elise is an amazing track/weekend car, but it isn't exactly the best choice for an every day driver.

Fear not, Porsche finally ships a reasonably affordable mid-engined coupe in mid-Jan 2006. A Speed Yellow copy joined the stable on Superbowl Sunday ...





A new adventure begins...