Lightning Lap 2017: Porsche 718 Cayman S

Lap Time: 2:58.3
Class: LL3
Base Price: $81,340
As-Tested Price: $94,925
Power and Weight: 350 hp • 3162 lb • 9.0 lb/hp
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4, F: 235/35ZR-20 (88Y) R: 265/35ZR-20 (95Y)

We have to admit that the atavists who griped about the sound of the new turbo four-cylinder flatties in the 718 have a point. That old steel-cut song of the six has been replaced by a somewhat boomy and uninspiring tune that just doesn’t flutter the heart. Fix this, Porsche, because the rest of the 718 is so magnificent. Really, for those who despair that they will never own a Ferrari or a McLaren, the 718 is an attainable and highly worthy alternative. The grip and chassis dynamics are stunning, our hands and feet and fanny no better connected to any car at this event than to the Cayman.

The boosted four-cylinder is an improvement over the flat-six by every objective measure, its extra 25 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque pushing the Cayman S to 144.1 mph down the front straight, 8.7 mph faster than the 2014 model. We logged the fast lap using the paddle shifters with stability control turned off, but came within 0.2 second of that time in Sport Plus with the seven-speed dual-clutch in full auto mode, the computers doing a fine job serving the right ratios at the right moment and the stability control only there to finesse the rear end out of an overcooked corner. The 718’s electronics put the GT-R’s aging circuitry into sharp relief. See, Nissan, this is why you can’t leave performance cars in the marketplace for nine years. After struggling with weather and heat for several days, the Cayman’s best lap came on the final morning, when we managed to shave it down to 2:58.3. But rest assured, no other car’s driver had more fun out there.

The Great Equalizer

The Porsche 718 Cayman S proved that even great-­handling cars suffer greatly in the wet. Aside from being 7.1 mph slower down the front straight, the soaked 718 could brake on the back straight at only 0.87 g versus 1.07 g’s on its quickest dry lap. And cornering in a wet Turn 1 was 0.93 g to the dry’s 1.06. Predictably, little if any time was lost on the straights, but corner after corner the 718 in the wet lost time, owing big chunks of the 8.0-second delta to the braking zones for Oak Tree (A) and Bitch (B).