[cka]

Still rubbing my eyes. Are these pictures for real. I must compliment your car choice as well as superb photography skills.

[Hagaru]

I'll start with some honesty, I was never big into the Porsches. I appreciated the performance they managed to achieve, but it never excited me as much.

Until this thread.

That Cayman, with its beautiful white overalls and fancy red callipers, has managed to completely change my heart. I could not take my eyes off the photo of the car. My heart screamed for it.

Congratulations on the purchase of your car! Your patience has been thoroughly rewarded. Considering how detailed and meticulous you have been, I'm fully confident this beautiful beast will shine brightly for many more years to come. Have a great time and all the best!

[OffPoynt]

Such a clean and gorgeous machine. One falls in love with just how spick and span it is! Marvelous.

People have praised the car enough, so let me go ahead and praise The Rainmaker for how meticulously he maintains his car. This is how I would like most people to maintain their vehicles, and I wish the mechanics were like this where i get my bike serviced. And if i sell my bike one day, I wish it would go to a person like him. And I'm getting there myself, as a fellow person with OCD

Machines will continue to excite us, as long as we the owners take care of every small detail about it. This thread was quite joyful to read, and succulently detailed. Mamma Mia! (Italian hand gesture)

[sandeepmohan]

What a beautiful & immaculate machine! 13 years up and the design of the car still looks good. The previous owner sure looked after the car.

What exactly is a 3 radiator setup meant for? Is it separate cooling for the transmission?

Digital screens are the in thing today. If you don't have one, you're car (even yourself) ain't cool anymore. However; this car shows us that choice of materials, their design and execution are equally important. I'd ditch my digital screens for an interior like this, any day.

Those seat adjustment levers are so beautiful. I wish they were any easy swap on modern cars that have painfully slow electronic seat adjustment. I do a lot of my own car care and I find that when I need to move the front seats out of the way for vacuuming, they take forever to move. Mechanical adjustments are so much easier.

I've not driven or been in a modern day Porsche. I did get to travel as co-pilot in an old 1998 Porsche Carrera S. A colleague owns one. He knew I like to drive fast and got straight to it as soon as I shut the door. The car was not in the best of shape, had over a 100k km on the odo and age had got to it. The auto box was a clunky shifter too. I don't think I've experienced anything so raw in my life. For its age, the car shot off the block really fast. The feeling of speed is necessary. Masking it is boring. This car was the best example of that. The car had no refinement about it whatsoever and yet it felt so good. I guess we have gone so used to the polished and modern feeling of new age cars that you forget what driving is all about.

I have set my sights on owning a Porsche. May not be the most exotic or desirable ones. I just want one as they give you such a nice feeling.

[The Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by VNair

Class! Brilliant pictures and write up. Looking forward to updates on your drives and Porsche Kim!

Thanks VNair. You caught the right metaphor in the whole thread

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

Nice thread. Porsche has the reputation for making the best handling cars in the world. Each and every offering by this car maker makes it prominent. Chandigarh's affluent class has a special liking for the Porsche brand and it's no wonder that one can find many Porsche cars in this city.

Chandigarh in itself is uniquely positioned. Well kept roads surrounded by lush green foliage. Its like 'Lutyens Delhi' integrated all across the city and you get Chandigarh. Not to forget, its at arms length with Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, UA. The highways issuing out of this city leading to any of the surrounding states is fine ground for highway riders.

Thanks ritedhawan. Yes, that's true, the roads are good no doubt and it's a well planned city, so that changes the dynamics altogether. But in recent years, due to the influx of population from these surrounding states for jobs or settlement with ever expanding cities (Mohali, Greater Mohali, Zirakpur, New Chandigarh etc.) and construction of flats everywhere, the traffic has increased manifold. It's just like Delhi now where we can't clear the traffic lights in one go. I avoid taking my car in the city as it's not fun anymore and almost every road is choked throughout the day.

I have a few designated roads inside the city or on the outskirts where I go for the weekend drives now and early mornings and late evenings are still ok as I mentioned in my threads as well.

I just hope the citizens and our government do something about the ever increasing population in our country. One day we might just run out of precious resources like this

Originally Posted by androdev

Wow. Congratulations, fantastic review of a superb looking car. I also happened to buy a Chandigarh registered white +beige 911 which almost looks like a twin brother to this car. Your car looks to be spec’ed really well and in mint condition! I thoroughly enjoyed reading you review and your level of attention to detail makes me feel like a peasant with an old tractor

Thanks androdev. After reading your reply, I went through your thread as well. You're right, the Carrera does look uncannily similar, even the color of interiors. Enjoyed reading all about it although I have a lot many pages to go since it's a long thread. Didn't know it was sold from Chandigarh. Good choice mate

Originally Posted by Sumer

This, I feel is the best car Porsche has ever made and I'm up for a debate. Ever since I raced the Cayman in NFS Most Wanted and then read up tons of stuff about it, I'm in awe. Congratulations

I can't agree with you more Sumer. Having gone through countless threads and countless track tests and reviews, I realized that Porsches are in a different league altogether especially in terms of handling and material quality. Italian cars although have improved now but even then their fit and finish remains behind the Germans. As OCD as I am, I can't stand an uneven panel gap or compromises on the materials used. And that's how I fell in love with a Cayman S. The Lightweight, Mid Engine, German Sports car with a Hydraulic Steering that also handles like a Go-Kart! Not to mention the Flat 6 Engine with a very Low Center of Gravity that no V6, V8, V10 or Inline 6 etc. can ever achieve. It's like having your cake and eating it too. Can't find this recipe in any other car even for 5 times the money!

[The Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by cka

Still rubbing my eyes. Are these pictures for real. I must compliment your car choice as well as superb photography skills.

Thanks cka. I do take time, sometimes days to plan my photo shoots as I want them to be exactly as I envision in my mind. This one was no exception. Sadly, due to a sudden change of plans, my DSLR couldn't be used at the time so I had to click these photos with my mobile phone but luckily, the sun was right behind and added that Halo effect in a few photos and could highlight the gloss levels of this car well, that worked out beautifully in the end.

Originally Posted by Hagaru

I'll start with some honesty, I was never big into the Porsches. I appreciated the performance they managed to achieve, but it never excited me as much.

Until this thread.

That Cayman, with its beautiful white overalls and fancy red callipers, has managed to completely change my heart. I could not take my eyes off the photo of the car. My heart screamed for it.

Congratulations on the purchase of your car! Your patience has been thoroughly rewarded. Considering how detailed and meticulous you have been, I'm fully confident this beautiful beast will shine brightly for many more years to come. Have a great time and all the best!

Thanks Hagaru. I'm glad my post could change your heart. Trust me, I still feel the photos don't do justice to the beauty of this superb machine. The car looks way better in person, from every angle. My next plan is to do a photoshoot using my DSLR and do an early morning photo shoot. Shall update the thread soon with more photos.

Originally Posted by OffPoynt

Such a clean and gorgeous machine. One falls in love with just how spick and span it is! Marvelous.

People have praised the car enough, so let me go ahead and praise The Rainmaker for how meticulously he maintains his car. This is how I would like most people to maintain their vehicles, and I wish the mechanics were like this where i get my bike serviced. And if i sell my bike one day, I wish it would go to a person like him. And I'm getting there myself, as a fellow person with OCD

Machines will continue to excite us, as long as we the owners take care of every small detail about it. This thread was quite joyful to read, and succulently detailed. Mamma Mia! (Italian hand gesture)

Thanks OffPoynt for the appreciation. Great to know a fellow OCD enthusiast. Although it does take its toll on my time and lifestyle sometimes, this OCD, but it's so rewarding in the end - the satisfaction of the results achieved is invaluable.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

What a beautiful & immaculate machine! 13 years up and the design of the car still looks good. The previous owner sure looked after the car.

What exactly is a 3 radiator setup meant for? Is it separate cooling for the transmission?

Digital screens are the in thing today. If you don't have one, you're car (even yourself) ain't cool anymore. However; this car shows us that choice of materials, their design and execution are equally important. I'd ditch my digital screens for an interior like this, any day.

Those seat adjustment levers are so beautiful. I wish they were any easy swap on modern cars that have painfully slow electronic seat adjustment. I do a lot of my own car care and I find that when I need to move the front seats out of the way for vacuuming, they take forever to move. Mechanical adjustments are so much easier.

I've not driven or been in a modern day Porsche. I did get to travel as co-pilot in an old 1998 Porsche Carrera S. A colleague owns one. He knew I like to drive fast and got straight to it as soon as I shut the door. The car was not in the best of shape, had over a 100k km on the odo and age had got to it. The auto box was a clunky shifter too. I don't think I've experienced anything so raw in my life. For its age, the car shot off the block really fast. The feeling of speed is necessary. Masking it is boring. This car was the best example of that. The car had no refinement about it whatsoever and yet it felt so good. I guess we have gone so used to the polished and modern feeling of new age cars that you forget what driving is all about.

I have set my sights on owning a Porsche. May not be the most exotic or desirable ones. I just want one as they give you such a nice feeling.

Thanks sandeepmohan. The stock Cayman S and Boxster S are only equipped with 2 radiators stock. The center radiator is an extra paid option. But for the 2011-2012 production run, all the cars came with a third radiator as standard and it was reflected in the higher price for the same. Triple radiators increase the cooling efficiency especially on a track while you're doing hot laps and in hot countries like India as well. This is integrated in the center of the bumper (Behind the center grill that you see) and not separately for the transmission. The whole cooling system on this car is a well integrated system with separate heat exchangers for engine, transmission etc. Takes a total of whopping 25 Liters of Coolant and requires a vacuum fill method to do it right otherwise you're looking at blown radiators and other catastrophic failures.

I really value fellow Enthusiasts and especially those who truly understand how a vehicle should be - Like a vehicle and not a home theater with automatic seats and touchscreens / digital displays. Somehow even sports cars have fallen prey to such trends and that electric seat adjustment you mentioned is literally painful (While manual adjustment only takes seconds literally and saves precious weight) and not very user friendly, so is the case with touchscreens where you HAVE to take your eyes off the road everytime, even to change a song. I don't know how that is safe and how the automotive authorities approved of touchscreen use in cars to begin with.

I mean automakers these days are actually moving a step backwards with cheap to make electric steerings, and digital stuff and sell these features with strong marketing at higher prices and not many people realize that they're actually buying a compromise at a higher price and people like us have to 'settle' for it as we are less in number and can't dictate the R&D goals. Really appreciate guys like you who actually understand and appreciate the actual worth of 'real' elements of these cars. Can't beat the analog feel and raw feedback from pre 2012 Porsche cars.

[kiku007]

Congratulations and I really appreciate the level of detail, attention and care that has gone into the purchase and maintenance of this Porsche.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I wish you many happy miles with the car! Do continue to write and inspire others. Young people buying Porsches is something to be celebrated in my opinion.

I've never driven a Porsche but I do drive alongside them in our driver's club on road and the track. Watching a screaming Porsche 911, GT2RS, Cayman etc. drive in front of me is one of the best visual and aural experiences I've had. I have huge respect for the drivers who let the cars do what they were engineered to do. Beauty in motion.

Originally Posted by The Rainmaker

I’ve not done any track days in it and don't intend to either due to the toll it takes on the engine, transmission, brake components and the suspension not to mention the paint.

I understand and respect your choice. Clearly you take care of the car at a level that I can't even imagine. Stone chip damages to windscreen, bumpers and metal are quite common during our drives. We just replace windscreens and repaint the plastic/metal.

However, come on man. You mention how some of the components of the car are engineered for the "track" and then you don't take it to the track because it will take a toll on some other components? I hope you do think about taking the car to the track with like minded experienced/mature drivers. I don't do track days that aren't organized exclusively by our driver's club. Some people don't deserve to be driving on a track and pose a huge risk to themselves and others.

P.S: Could you please share how you planned and executed the photo shoot? The interior pictures are too good.

[The Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Congratulations and I really appreciate the level of detail, attention and care that has gone into the purchase and maintenance of this Porsche.

Thanks for sharing your experience and I wish you many happy miles with the car! Do continue to write and inspire others. Young people buying Porsches is something to be celebrated in my opinion.

I've never driven a Porsche but I do drive alongside them in our driver's club on road and the track. Watching a screaming Porsche 911, GT2RS, Cayman etc. drive in front of me is one of the best visual and aural experiences I've had. I have huge respect for the drivers who let the cars do what they were engineered to do. Beauty in motion.

I understand and respect your choice. Clearly you take care of the car at a level that I can't even imagine. Stone chip damages to windscreen, bumpers and metal are quite common during our drives. We just replace windscreens and repaint the plastic/metal.

However, come on man. You mention how some of the components of the car are engineered for the "track" and then you don't take it to the track because it will take a toll on some other components? I hope you do think about taking the car to the track with like minded experienced/mature drivers. I don't do track days that aren't organized exclusively by our driver's club. Some people don't deserve to be driving on a track and pose a huge risk to themselves and others.

P.S: Could you please share how you planned and executed the photo shoot? The interior pictures are too good.

Thanks for the appreciation kiku007. Trust me I'd love to race in a car like this someday. I totally get your point but tracking a car in a country like India is not very practical due to various reasons. I'd never want the windscreen or any such part to be replaced here at any dealership or workshop as I've seen even top class dealerships screwing up basic service jobs as well. The policies are in place but the careless attitude is widely prevalent, so not worth the risk. The Porsche Center in my city is Excellent though and they fully cooperate with me and carry out all the services exactly as per my liking but then again I'd rather maintain the 'factory stock' element of my car as long as I can. Moreover, I'm more of a collector than a racer, but who doesn't love hitting the race track, I'd love to race some day. Maybe I'll get another Cayman S for racing purposes only . Coz this one is like my very own concours edition given the kind of money and time I've invested in it's maintenance alone. There's not a single paint chip on the car. It's literally mint!

I'm glad you liked the interior photos. Actually, lighting is the key. I designed my garage with tubes placed slightly higher than the roofline of the car and spaced around 12" - 14" apart for a uniform lighting all around. There are a total of 7 High CRI (90+) tubes in a color temp of approx 4500k which is the closest to that of natural sunlight. Shows me every single detail on the car while cleaning and drying after a wash. Rest is actually the beauty of tan leather and the design of interiors that brings the pop to the photos. Somehow I couldn't get to use my DSLR for this photo shoot. Will be doing another one soon with my DSLR and updating the thread. Shall share photos of my humble garage and tools as well.

For the exterior photos, I've been watching the venue for a couple of days at different times of the day to decide which one would be the best suited. Finally I decided for an evening shoot since the sunlight was somewhat diffused/soft (Not direct) and the sunlight poking through the silhouette of trees behind the car added to that 'Gates of Heaven' kinda feeling. So, it all came together nicely and I really didn't have to do much in post processing either .