21 Jul 06
Stuck in a queue of traffic that stretched as far as the eye could see, I sat and quietly fumed.
A decade or more ago, I'd have felt my inner caveman rise up within me, bringing frustration to boiling point: but now, more than anything, I was just sad. Here I was, in a brand new Porsche, crawling along at, if the digital speed readout was to be believed, 30. That's kilometres per hour, if it makes any difference. It was like being given the keys to the chocolate factory and having your mouth taped up. And I didn't come here just to sniff.
There was no point attempting to overtake, as the column of traffic had fused into one seamless carriage of automotive impotence. So instead I sat there contemplating what I'd be experiencing had Porsche not brilliantly decided to launch this Cayman on the outskirts of Frankfurt.
On paper, it proves an interesting proposition. For a start, its arrival seems back to front - it's rare indeed that a manufacturer launches the quick version first, not least because the standard car that follows is likely to suffer by comparison. But that's exactly what we have here: we've been very familiar with the £44,080 Cayman S for some months now, so it's hard not to see this, the £36,220 Cayman, as the Cayman Lite - the Cayman for those who either aren't quite up to or can't quite afford the real full-fat thing. The price they've chosen for this car is interesting too, for reasons I'll return to in a minute.
