718 Cayman

STORY

The Cayman is the Boxster with a roof, and for many the purest sports car Porsche makes. Introduced in 2005, it took the mid-engined roadster's platform and added a fixed, fastback coupe roof, gaining structural rigidity and a shooting-brake elegance all its own.

That extra stiffness, combined with the flat-six mounted right behind the driver, gives the Cayman handling widely regarded as more neutral and communicative than even the 911's. For years Porsche carefully rationed its power to protect its flagship, an open secret among enthusiasts.

In GT4 and later GT4 RS form, the Cayman finally slipped that leash with high-revving flat-sixes and genuine track pedigree, cementing its status as a driver's Porsche whose only real limit was the badge politics above it.