ZDan

I just got back from Mont Tremblant, first track event in my '11 base Cayman. Sweeeet! Went 3 seconds faster vs. last year in the BRZ BUT, even at ~3050 lb. IMO the car is overweight...

I would much much MUCH rather Porsche built a legitimate small, lightweight sports car rather than another oversized overweight supercar like this GT4. Something that would be fun and fast even with an NA 4-cylinder. Something that maybe splits the difference between the 987 and Lotus Exige. Oh wellz...

TheDonEffect

ND2, maybe with FI? Lol don't meet to thread hijack.

white98ls

I wish a lot of sports car makers would do this - go back to basics a bit. It's a little nuts when the hardcore version of the cheapest Porsche has 420hp, weighs 3,200lbs (or whatever) and starts at $100k, and the "base" mid-engined V8 Ferrari has 710hp - not terribly usable on the road. A little less power, a little lower weight, a little less cost would sell like hotcakes for these brands without "selling out" their brand (as if Porsche hasn't already sold out with stuff like the Cayenne Coupe, lol).

TommyDeVito

But but, we need lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, semi-auto driving, and we need the car to parallel park itself! Heated seats, cooled seats, every gizmo imaginable on the headunit. All around cameras, etc, etc.

Buy a Lotus or better yet, an Ariel Atom. I don't understand why more drop top/track day enthusiasts don't buy it. I'd buy an Atom over anything Porsche makes currently.

white98ls

Hehe, I did buy a Lotus. Really think these cars will be worth a fair bit in 10-20 years. Similar to the S2000, stuff like that isn't going to be made again.

Was seriously interested in the Atom but my wife objected to a car that doesn't even have a roof or bodywork, lol. This was after I proposed a Morgan Three-Wheeler, which looks like a blast in a very different way.

Wish carmakers and consumers overall would realize that it isn't all about grip, lap times, fast shifts done by computer, power, etc. You get accustomed to all of that, and it just means you can use less of it on the road for less of the time, which is frustrating. What counts for more in my book is the experience and feel. Gotta hand it to Porsche for listening to customers and going in the right direction with N/A flat-6, manual trans, etc. but I'd love to see them go even further.

TommyDeVito

Totally agree. I bought a RS because of the chassis and the torque vectoring AWD system. Because it's a manual transmission and an utter blast to corner in, ie fun. I don't buy cars or literbikes for lap times or spec sheets. More like go drive/ride it and see how feels and communicates. Does the chassis communicate? What does it feel like during corner entry, mid-corner, and corner exit. Dare I say it, does it have soul and communicate to you?

It seems all the rage today is these online comparisons, lap times, and metrics. Yet 99.9% don't compete with the cars or bikes, certainly not for money. They are bought for fun. Get the widget that speaks to you and what everyone else thinks, toss in toilet. Some of the funnest vehicles and soul stirring drives are in things that don't win comparisons or have the quickest metrics.

white98ls

It's funny - both of the sports cars I've owned (S2k and Elise) have been much slower than the sedans I owned at the same time (E39 M5, E90 M3). Reason being I don't need my "fun car" to be the fastest car in the world, just communicative, responsive, nimble, and engaging. The bigger, more practical cars I like to be faster because in the relative absence of the feel, focus and lightness of a sports car, I want a big, powerful engine to keep me entertained.

A lot of people who own Ferraris, Porsches, Vettes, etc. say they're often frustrating on the street because the limits are too high to really explore - kind of like the "slow car fast > fast car slow" idea. While I do need a certain level of performance to keep me from being bored, which is probably stock S2000 power/weight, I find a ton of power and grip isn't all that satisfying unless on a track - at which point is kind of scary and intimidating and doesn't help me improve as quickly as a driver.

rob-2

I must be doing something wrong here guys. Sure the limits are higher on modern cars - why isn’t everyone picking up some junker 70s and 80s cars that were just down right scary to corner in then?

i enjoy my cars both on the street and the track. Obviously driving balls out on public roads is stupid. The thrills I get from newer and more capable cars isn’t limited by the fact I can’t WOT everywhere.

nothing like dropping to 2nd and passing a car and your car leaping from 55 to 95 to make a quick pass.