As chief driving consultant for Porsche’s Experience Center at Silverstone, England, Gordon Robertson knows a thing or two about Porsche’s products and how to drive them quickly.
While unable to name a favorite car in Porsche’s current catalog, Robertson “undoubtedly” prefers the Porsche Cayman for coaching other drivers, regardless of experience. In his words, the Cayman “brings out the best in any driver.”
We’re huge fans of Porsche’s mid-range coupe, and find it to be one of the best handling car’s in Porsche’s lineup. We’re sold on its balance, steering feedback and forgiving nature, but Robertson throws science into the mix as well.
We really like the Cayman, it turns out, because of its “low polar moment of inertia.” Its mid-engine, rear drive layout gives the car nearly perfect weight distribution front to rear, and combined with a low center of gravity, allows the car to change direction quickly.
Make a mistake in the Cayman, and the car is a lot more understanding that the rear-engine, rear-drive Porsche 911 (with the stability control off, that is). That makes the Cayman more confidence-inspiring, especially on a tight racetrack or winding mountain road.
Like Robertson, we’d be hard pressed to name a favorite car, but we know this for certain: when it comes to sports cars, the Porsche Cayman is certainly near the top of our list.
We like air conditioning and an audio system too much to opt for the track-centric Cayman R featured here, so make ours a Cayman S Black Edition.