2012 Porsche Cayman R

I really don’t feature the Porsche Cayman often enough. It’s not that I don’t like them, I like them a lot. I think they just fall into that world of newer machines that we see so many of that it becomes easy to pass them by for more rare alternatives from earlier years. The same happens with the 911 since I’ll feature very few of the water-cooler models and when I do it is almost always the 996TT or GT3.

When I come across a Cayman R the decision is much easier as these possess the sort of rarity and performance that immediately makes us take notice. The R provides a glimpse of everything the Cayman could be and serves as a precursor to the current GT4. As a lightened and more powerful version of the Cayman S, the R takes an already well-balanced machine and turns everything up. Creature comforts are a little more limited though for those who like A/C and a radio they can be added back. Even still the R makes for a wonderfully fun drive and hell I think they look pretty great too!

The one we see here comes in a really pretty Basalt Black over Red combination and sits with just 12,000 miles on it. The asking price is quite high, but the option list is quite extensive so if you’re looking for one that checked a lot of the boxes this may be it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche Cayman R on Rennlist

Year: 2012
Model: Cayman R
Engine: 3.4 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 12,000 mi
Price: $75,000

The car is black with red full leather and has a manual transmission, bucket seats, sports exhaust, sport chrono among many other options. Currently has a little over 12,000 miles and I am the original owner.

It’s never been tracked/auto-crossed or in an accident, and always garaged. All four rims are clean with no curb rash. Attached are some pictures as well as the build sheet. One thing missing from the build sheet is the rims painted in black (the dealer swapped the original silver rims with another Cayman R).

I’m asking $75k FIRM which I know would be higher than most for sale but think it’s reasonable given the low miles, combination of key options and overall extensive build sheet (original MSRP just a shade under $100k). Car is located in the San Jose, CA.

Given its high price we shouldn’t be surprised that this Cayman R has been up for a couple months. It looks in fantastic shape and I really love the color combination. There is a second Cayman R more recently available. It has a few more miles and asks for fewer of your dollars, but it looks in equally excellent condition. The options list isn’t as extensive, but there are some nice choices made there as well. I don’t think either would be a bad choice.

I chose this one because I’m a sucker for a red interior, especially when paired with a black exterior. The long options list might make this one a slightly tougher sell, especially given that the R, at heart, aspires to be a more spartan car. Quite a few of those options appear to involve getting a wide variety of items covered in leather and given how much I enjoy the look of this interior I suppose I can’t find too much fault there. And that’s where this will make sense: for the buyer who would spec an R similarly and desires one that’s added in many details to help distinguish it from the rest. A lot of this stuff may not make you go faster, but perhaps you’ll feel better, and get just that little bit more enjoyment, during each drive.

-Rob