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Porsche
Club of America
By
Win Perry,
wperry@winbro.com
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T. S. Eliot famously said that April is the cruelest month. I have never been able to subscribe to this sentiment, and, I suspect, neither do most northeast USA based Porschephiles. As I write this, it’s still March. In fact, at least by the calendar, it’s the first day of spring. At this time, we shouldn’t just be thinking of what we plan to do during the driving season, rather it’s time to get on with it! All that procrastination with getting the car ready and signing up for events needs to end. Yesterday, I learned that I had been accepted for a mid-April NNJR Drivers Ed event at Lime Rock. That provided an instant morale boost; I hadn’t been sure I would get in. April may be rainy (don’t mention the “s” word), but now it feels like the track season has really started. I’ve already submitted my NER DE application. Now I need to think about NCR, maybe Metro, and whether I should take the advanced (racecraft) school at Bertil Roos Racing School. I had a great time there last year at their three day racing school. I always feel good when daylight savings arrives. The days are lengthening anyway, and with that extra hour arriving in one fell swoop, the possibilities for doing things seem larger. I can’t wait to get out my bike. Riding to work starts to reduce the bulge in my middle, which grows every winter, and I’m told its great conditioning for driving. (Lets see what Pete Donohoe has to say about this subject at the May meeting. My problem is that the bike riding season coincides with the Porsche driving season. I can either ride the bike to work or drive the Boxster. Both modes of transport are a pleasure not a chore. I’ll probably stick with the bike for my daily commute. Wonder what it would be like to lap the Glen on my Klein? On second thought, I think I’ll stick with the Porsche for that one. A month or so ago, I went to one of the introductions that the various Porsche dealers were giving for the Cayman S. Being a Boxster guy, I was obviously interested in the new car. When I bought my Boxster, one of the few options I really wanted was the hard top. I enjoy driving with the top down on those rare days when it is not too hot, not too cold, and not precipitating. I mean, this is New England after all. So I found the Cayman pretty nice. However, despite Porsche’s advertising, the more closely you look (including from underneath and with the panel behind the seats removed to reveal the engine), the more you conclude that it really is a Boxster with a real hard top. Of course the springs can be firmer in the more rigid closed car; Porsche has done that with 911 coupes and cabriolets for years. 200 more cc’s and 15 more horses (than a new Boxster S) are nice, but hardly overwhelming. You have to admire Porsche’s boldness (?) in their pricing policy. Visiting edmunds.com, I found the base MSRP price for a Boxster S to be $54,700 while the Cayman commands $58,900. Going up-market to the 997, one discovers the following: the “basic” coupe goes for $71,300 while the cabriolet commands $81,400. You figure it. I suppose it really doesn’t matter; we’ll never actually see a $59K Cayman S on the dealer floor. With options, the prices were around $70K. We should all be as smart and successful as Dr. Wiedeking. Finally, a note of thanks to Bill Caterino. Bill must have actually read my previous column, since he emailed me with a brake pad recommendation (Porterfield). Thanks Bill. |
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