Porsche is guaranteed to have one of the stars of the Los Angeles Auto Show with a lighter, more powerful, stripped-out version of its mid-engined Cayman.
Called Cayman R – not Club Sport, as had been rumored – the new model uses lightweight components and a number of alterations to the spec sheet to shed 120lbs from the Cayman S. It loses air conditioning and the stereo, and adopts lightweight 19in. alloy wheels (as seen on the Boxster Spyder), carbon fiber sports bucket seats and lighter interior door panels from the 911 GT3 RS.
A mild re-tune of the Cayman S's 3.4-liter powerplant has yielded a further 10hp, taking the R to 325hp. Torque remains the same, at 273lb-ft, but the slight increase in grunt and weight reduction gives the new car a power-to-weight ratio of 252hp per ton (247hp per ton with a PDK gearbox).
The R shaves 0.2sec from the Cayman S's 0-62mph time, to 5.0sec, and reaches an increased top speed of 175mph (up from 172mph). The PDK-equipped R covers 0-62mph in 4.7sec and hits 174mph.
The chassis setup includes a limited-slip differential as standard and sports suspension that lowers the car by 20mm. The car's fuel tank is also slightly smaller, at 14.3 gallons.
The standard equipment list may not include air-con, but you do get what Porsche calls the Cayman Aerokit, whose styling add-ons including a fixed rear spoiler in a contrasting color, black-framed halogen headlights, contrasting side mirrors and Porsche side stripe decals. The Peridot metallic paint shown on the launch car will also be exclusive to the R.
The L.A. Auto Show opens this Friday, Nov. 19, and runs through Nov. 28, including Thanksgiving weekend.