2012 Porsche Cayman R

From seemingly the moment it released the Cayman Porsche was criticized for holding it back so as not to outclass the 911. As we often heard, the Cayman’s inherently better balanced mid-engine layout should easily be able to outperform Porsche’s icon, if only Porsche would truly unleash it and give it a proper engine. Regardless of this criticism, the Cayman has been widely praised; it followed in the long footsteps of Porsche’s racing history providing excellent performance and refinement in the same package. With the release of the Cayman R criticism was abated. With the new Cayman GT4 we have a glimpse of what the Cayman truly can be. Here we have an example of the former, a Speed Yellow 2012 Porsche Cayman R, located in Texas, with 12,726 miles on it. The Cayman R didn’t really add much in the horsepower department – gaining only 10 hp over the standard Cayman S – but when combined with its lighter weight – some 120 fewer pounds than the Cayman S – the results began to take shape. Marry extra power and lighter weight with more performance-oriented suspension tuning and the Cayman R stood apart from its mid-engined siblings and finally bit at the heels of the 911. Was the R akin to the 911 GT3 RS in its track focus? Not quite, but it pointed in that direction and gave many critics what they had clamored for.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche Cayman R on eBay

Year: 2012
Model: Cayman R
Engine: 3.4 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 12,726 mi
Price: $58,420 Buy It Now

2012 Porsche Cayman (R) for sale, super rare and hard to find. Not many made. Cheapest one in the United States. Super clean in excellent condition, only 12k miles, 3.4L engine, standard transmission, navigation, Bluetooth, rear transparent engine cover, black and yellow interior trim, suede bucket seats, great handling car, clean Carfax , no accidents.

The most immediate thing that stands out about this Cayman R is the paint. Speed Yellow. It’s the only one I’ve come across in this color – though certainly not the only one spec’d in this color. I actually wasn’t even aware of the number of colors available for the Cayman R until I started investigating this one. Almost every one I have seen has been Black, White, or the more interesting but debatable Peridot Metallic. The fact of its exterior color alone immediately made this one feature-worthy to me. Everything else is pretty much what we expect. This R is equipped with the 6-speed manual rather than PDK, which should have appeal to a good number of interested buyers. The seller claims this is the cheapest one in the US. I have no idea if that’s true, but the price does seem quite reasonable. The obvious question then is why is it the cheapest? Perhaps the mileage is higher than most examples of the R, I don’t know, but statements like that make me wary. Or maybe it’s just a very reasonably priced example, in which case it should make for a great addition to the stable.

-Rob