CHRIS WALLBANK 981 GT4, 981 BOXSTERS
My journey in Porsche ownership started way back in 2007. I was in the lucky position to be able to afford a year-old 987 Boxster 2.7, which was sitting in the showroom of Porsche Centre Sheffield. Buying the car was a dream come true, irrespective of the fact this was the entry-level offering in the 987 range. I've stayed true to the Porsche brand ever since. There's just something about its heritage, not to mention the amazing community of owners, that makes it unlike any other marque.
Following my time with the 987, I dipped my toe into the world of 911 ownership with a 997 Carrera S Cabriolet, which stuck with me for eight rewarding years. As much as I loved my 911, I missed the chassis dynamics of a mid-engined Porsche, a frustration leading me to switch to a 2016 981 Cayman GTS in 2020. I immediately felt at home in the car — I just can't get enough of the perfectly balanced handling offered by the Boxster/ Cayman twins.
Coupled with the 3.4-litre normally aspirated flat-six, the GTS chassis took me to a level of Porsche performance I'd not previously experienced. Looking back, I'm convinced GTS trim is the sweet spot of the Cayman (and arguably the 911) range. It delivers just the right amount of power for spirited road use, enough poise for the occasional track outing, aggressive body styling, a motorsport-inspired (Alcantara-heavy) interior, plus unbelievably compliant Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which is a huge improvement over the PASM system I played with in my first-generation 997. Throw in the mighty PDK semi-automatic transmission, complete with paddle shifters for manual override, and to my mind at least, the 981 Cayman GTS is near Porsche perfection, certainly for the UK's tight and twisty country roads.
There was, however, a little something missing. It
