Photo: Porsche
Earlier today, I was watching the Cayman GT4 review that Jason Cammisa shot way back in 2015. At one point, I started wondering what will happen to the greatest mid-engined sportscar ever, now that the 718 Cayman has been revealed. A couple of official website checks later, I realized that 718 is now a series, like 911. OMG!
You probably think that it's not important at all, seeing as everyone expected the Cayman and Boxster to get the 718 nicknames after they received turbocharged engines. However, two model series becoming one is almost unheard of in the auto industry.
BMW split the 3 Series Coupe away and made the 4 Series. Audi wanted another model and replaced the A4 Cabrio with the A5, eventually making it a 4-door as well. You get a general idea!
Over the past few years, Porsche CEOs and other officials talked about having up to eight models by introducing the Pajun and a coupe version of the Panamera. But now, they've joined two into one. Why? To make it stronger.
Unless I'm mistaken, Porsche's mid-engined toy is less than 20 years old. At first, it was very harshly criticized for not having enough power. Year after year, they made the Boxster faster, eventually giving it a metal roof. The GT4 is the pinnacle of that development, a Cayman with a 911 engine.
The GT4 too has been... discontinued. Right now, the 718 model series looks like that of the 911 in early 2012: four models in total, two of which are convertible versions of the other ones. There's no GTS, no Boxster Spyder, nothing. Some of those cars have been made obsolete by the 718 facelift's big brakes, big wheels, and optional sports exhaust.
It's my opinion that Porsche cannot get rid of the Boxster and Cayman names because they have too much value. But it apparently wants to, and considering how sales are going, I can understand why.
It's not all bad news, as the strength of the 718 brand could mean more money will be invested. With more torque come traction problems and we could see next-gen models offering AWD, targa tops and other crazy things.
BMW split the 3 Series Coupe away and made the 4 Series. Audi wanted another model and replaced the A4 Cabrio with the A5, eventually making it a 4-door as well. You get a general idea!
Over the past few years, Porsche CEOs and other officials talked about having up to eight models by introducing the Pajun and a coupe version of the Panamera. But now, they've joined two into one. Why? To make it stronger.
Unless I'm mistaken, Porsche's mid-engined toy is less than 20 years old. At first, it was very harshly criticized for not having enough power. Year after year, they made the Boxster faster, eventually giving it a metal roof. The GT4 is the pinnacle of that development, a Cayman with a 911 engine.
The GT4 too has been... discontinued. Right now, the 718 model series looks like that of the 911 in early 2012: four models in total, two of which are convertible versions of the other ones. There's no GTS, no Boxster Spyder, nothing. Some of those cars have been made obsolete by the 718 facelift's big brakes, big wheels, and optional sports exhaust.
It's my opinion that Porsche cannot get rid of the Boxster and Cayman names because they have too much value. But it apparently wants to, and considering how sales are going, I can understand why.
It's not all bad news, as the strength of the 718 brand could mean more money will be invested. With more torque come traction problems and we could see next-gen models offering AWD, targa tops and other crazy things.
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