Porsche Tequipment: Sport Steering Wheel with proper paddle shifters for 911 and Boxster/Cayman with PDK

For those of you who have driven a PDK (twin clutch 'box) enabled 911 (997) or Boxster/Cayman (987/987c), he or she will likely dread the 'dumb' swinging-rocker switches sitting atop of the 9 and 3 0'clock limbs of the steering wheel.
Well, Porsche AG has finally come out with a solution to this - as usual, nothing less than a paying option along with a sleeker & sportier steering wheel.

Here is the press release:

A sporting feature well known from the new 911 Turbo is the three-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles for the PDK transmission. Starting immediately, this unique leather steering wheel with gearshift paddles behind the right and left steering wheel spokes carried over from motorsport is available at a price of Euro 940.10 (including VAT) also for individual retrofitting on all versions of the 911, Boxster, Cayman, and Panamera with PDK and, starting in August 2010, on the all-new Cayenne with Tiptronic S.

The high-quality shift paddles are naturally made of metal. Through their stretched sickle shape, the gearshift paddles allow the driver to shift gears manually with perfect ease, from a wide range of individual holding positions on the steering wheel. The driver shifts up on the right and down on the left.

2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder

Porsche AG is at it again. This time around the boys at Zuffenhausen sprinkle their special edition magic on their facelifted (2nd generation 987 series) Boxster S, creating another Spyder variant: aptly named the Porsche Boxster Spyder.

Powered by the similar state-of-tune 3.4L naturally-aspirated Boxer-6 found in the Cayman S, the Boxster Spyder has a peak output of 320hp instead 310hp in the standard Boxster S. The Spyder will zip from standstill to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds when specified with Porsche Doppel Kupplungsgetriebe (PDK) twin-clutch gearbox, along with the (extra cost option) Sports Chrono Package. Terminal velocity is a lofty 267 km/h. In comparison, the standard Boxster S does the same century sprint in 5.0 seconds. Just how well the lightened and simplified pull-over canvas roof takes to this Vmax is anybody's guess. Yes, the regular electric folding top has gone the way of weight saving.




The most noticeable differences on the Spyder are the new 'double-bubble' rear deck, reprofiled front bumper, a set of newly designed alloy wheels and a large fixed rear spoiler.

Also obliterated in the interest of excess fab shedding are the standard Boxster's daytime running lights and fog lamps. The cabin has been stripped out of any "excessive" equipments like audio system and air conditioning. Both these items however, can be refitted as cost options! The interior also gets a pair of seat-belt like strips as door pulls instead of the regular metal door opening handles. In addition, there is also a pair of sport bucket seats of lightweight carbon-fibre construction.

After all these 'dieting' measures, this special edition Boxster manage to shed 80 kg off a regular Boxster S. To be exact, the Spyder tips the weighing scale at 1,275 kg.

Reliving a legacy harking back to the days of the iconic Porsche 550 Spyder from the 1950s, the 2010 Boxster Spyder essentially replaces the standard Boxster's electrically retractable soft-top with a simple and lightweight pull-over contraption that hooks up onto the windshield frame. It also sports rear double-humps just distal to the roll-over hoops, with a sloping contour reminiscent of the Carrera GT.






The new Boxster Spyder is slated for worldwide launch sometime February 2010. Base price starts at €53,100 (US$78,400) in Europe. Would the price be hovering near a standard Cayman S with PDK (RM665,000) if this is at all made available in Malaysia next year?

2010 Porsche 911 Turbo gets power hike and twin clutch 'box!

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Porsche has revised the last variant its 997 series, to give us the new 911 Turbo for model year 2010, complete with PDK and DFI (direct fuel injection). The new flagship 911 Turbo will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show by September 2009, in both Coupe and Cabriolet guises.

For the first time in Porsche history (996 Turbo and earlier 997 Turbo are all 3.6L boxer-6s), the 911 Turbo will have a 3.8L flat-six boxer.Nicked from the facelifted 997 Carrera S/4S, this rear engine is blown and tweaked to deliver 500 hp, a hike of 20 hp from the previous model. Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), a new expansion intake manifold which debuted in the GT2 and Porsche’s twin turbocharger with variable turbine geometry (VTG) lead the long list of ‘wicked’ technical upgrades. Maximum torque has increased by 15 lb-ft to 516 lb-ft., a figure obtained with the optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo.

The Sport Chrono Package Turbo also enables acceleration from 0 - 96 km/h in 3.2 seconds through the gears of Porsche Doppelkupplung Getriebe (PDK) aka robotised 7–speed dual-clutch tranny. Top speed is 312 km/h for both the Turbo Coupe and Cabriolet. Also included in the Sport Chrono Package Turbo is Porsche’s innovative dynamic engine mounts. Introduced earlier this year on the 2010 GT3, the new mounts works with magnetic fluid that automatically adjusts for comfort or sport, depending on the driving conditions.

A new (optional) three-spoke steering wheel with conventional left-right shift paddles (finally!) is also available for PDK-equipped 911 Turbo. Mounted directly on the steering wheel, the right paddle is for shifting up, the left paddle for shifting down.

Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) available with the new 911 Turbo works in synergy with the standard Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive and Porsche Stability Management (PSM). This new optional system includes a mechanical limited slip differential and actively distributes power between the rear wheels, giving the sportscar even more agility and stability in corners, for an even higher level of sporty driving.

The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe and 911 Turbo Cabriolet go on sale in January 2010. Pricing is the U.S. will be $132,800 and $143,800 respectively.

Facelifted Porsche Boxster & Cayman (987 series) now in Malaysia: Brief Driving Impressions

There's no denying there is something mesmerising and magically alluring about the Porsche brand, with its sportscars heritage et al. Attending the new Boxster and Cayman launch a couple of weeks ago, I noticed the gleaming facies, dilated pupils and glistening eyes of guests and potential owners looking much like a kid lost in Toys 'R' Us.

What we have here is the new generation (in German auto speak) Boxster and Cayman, possibly on its last leg of service (read: 2 - 3 years), with some nip-and-tuck applied to this 987 series mid-engine Porsche, before the all-new 988 (?) takes over the midship rein sometime 2011 or slightly thereafter.

It's also undeniable that the 987 shares so much of evolutionary traits from the debut 986 series. Dimensions, platform, doors, removable hardtop, powered soft-top, mechanical layout and overall silhoutte, especially the roadster version i.e. Boxster. After all, the Cayman was honed with an all-new hardtop as a complementary model since MY2005. It is also probably the only model in automotive history in which the coupe version cost more than the cabriolet sibling!

Of course, since the unveiling of the Boxster in 1997, the car has not only saved Porsche from bankruptcy but also gives motoring journalists the world over more than a glimpse into how "flawed" the 911 is in its chassis dynamics, with its engine hanging out away from its rear axle. Of course, Porsche purists in their pricey 911s will beg to differ and will likely not sway from their stance of the 986/987 being "a poor man's Porsche". Well, they will have a lot to argue about with the Cayenne available as a turbodiesel now and the equally performance and presence commanding GTS. Come September/October 2009, Porsche's truly all-new Panamera will become available (for viewing) in Malaysia. What will these snobs say then?

Back to the new Boxster and Cayman for 2009, the base model now gets a 2.9L boxer-6 (upped from previous 2.7 in use since year 1999/2000) which is allegedly a brand new block unrelated to the previous M96 engine. As usual, Dr. Ing h.c. F. Porsche AG will save the best for higher paying customers, so DFI (direct fuel injection) only goes into the 3.4L Cayman S. However, both models get Porsche's Doppelkupplung Getriebe (PDK) twin-clutch automated 7-speed gearbox. For the Malaysian market, both will mostly - if not all - be standard specced with 'Sports Chrono Package' which enables launch control to be executed. Best of all, pricings for the 2009 Boxster and Cayman have remained largely unchanged.

Of course, you can tick the option boxes for PASM, leather trimmed dash/door, sports seats, special colour interior (Terracotta or Cocoa), 19" alloys etc and the cost will go near the base 911 Carrera with PDK. Trust me, you don't need the base 3.6L Carrera facelift, not when at RM668k you get a Cayman S with the all-important PDK and Sports Chrono Package. It's truly wicked doing 4.9 seconds to 100km/h with launch control. Executed the launch control runs twice and it feels like there's a turbocharged lump lurking behind your kidneys. Unlike the previous power-sapping 5-speed Tiptronic S 'box, the PDK feel more latchy for quicker bite of torque transmission, more alive, more responsive, more urgent, with what seemed more Golf GTI-ish now, but with double the fun. Now, that's the 3.4L Cayman S with PDK for you.

Prior to this, I had a go in a base 997 Carrera 2 with PDK, which, off the mark, feels more dramatic, a heftier mass but a tad more urgent in initial push. However, there's no denying that the Cayman S is more cultured of the two and wouldn't just be a total washout in face off with the base Carrera. In fact, the Cayman is easier to drive, with a more refined chassis balance to it all.

Even the base Cayman 2.9 is no slow poke. Capable of 5.8 sec to the century (5.5 secs with launch control), the exhaust note even sounded sweeter, more melodious than the Cayman S. No doubt the bigger brother has a more throaty, more menacing howl circa 5000 rpm and beyond, but it's also noticeably grittier, with hoarser vocal resonance pounding behind your ears as you stretch the flat-six towards its redline. I was lucky enough to pilot an 'old' Cayman 2.7 Tiptronic S back-to-back and I could feel the new Cayman 2.9' extra 200cc of displacement at work and undoubtedly, the wonderful PDK giving you more instantaneous tractability.

Interestingly, the Boxster has 10hp/10Nm lesser than the similar-engined Cayman (265 bhp/300 Nm), while the Boxster S is also denied of the 10hp/10Nm extra output found in the Cayman S (320 bhp/370 Nm). That's exact science of engine tuning and ECU mapping at work from Porsche's best engineers. And clearly, clever sleight of marketing wand at work too.

Prices for the Porsche Boxster 2.9 is RM515k, the Cayman 2.9 goes for RM556k while the Boxster S retails for RM612k. The top-of-the-series Cayman S can be yours for RM668k. Prices quoted are without insurance and roadtax. Every new Boxster and Cayman comes with manufacturer's warranty for 2 years standard + 2 years extended.

Related posts:

2009 Porsche Boxster and Cayman with DFI and PDK

2006 Porsche Cayman S tested

2010 Porsche Panamera

Porsche Cayman S Sport

Porsche World Roadshow 2007 Part 1

Porsche World Roadshow 2007 Part 2

2009 Porsche Cayman and Cayman S with DFI and PDK!

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Porsche’s Boxster-based coupe – first launched in 2006 - the Cayman and Cayman S, has undergone a nip and tuck for 2009. Beauty is however, not only skin deep for this mid-engine Porsche with an integral metal roof. Yes! You guessed right…like the recently facelifted 911(997), the Cayman range will also get new boxer engines, that fantastic twin-clutch PDK gearbox and higher performance suspension tweaks.

The base Cayman now beats with a 2.9-litre direct-injected flat-six motor capable of 265hp, a gain of 20hp over the previous 2.7L lump. The 3.4L boxer in the Cayman S is carried over to the 2009 model but now sports direct fuel injection (DFI). As such, it can now pump out 320 of naturally aspirated horses, which is a hike of 25hp over the previous S-model.

As with the 911 facelift exercise, both Cayman variants will have Porsche's Doppelkupplungetriebe (PDK) 7-speed automated-manual ‘box which can shift gears quicker with uninterrupted torque delivery. Other added benefit include a lower fuel consumption and lower emissions too. In PDK form, this Porsche ‘entry-level’ sports coupe will zip from zero to 100 km/h in 6 secs flat i.e. 0.1 seconds faster than the 5-speed manual older Cayman.

More interestingly, the 2009 Cayman S with PDK (using Launch Control) will be capable of century sprint figures of sub-5 sec now (4.9 sec to be exact) whereas the predecessor with a manual 6-speed shifter ‘only’ managed 5.9 sec. The previous Tiptronic S fitted Cayman S does it in 6.1 sec. Improved suspension geometry and damper settings have enhanced the 2009 Cayman/Cayman S’ handling and agility, while maintaining comfortable levels of ride pliancy. Expect Porsche Communication Management (PCM) as standard whereby the interface of the infotainment-navigation system is by way of a touch-screen LCD, not some cumbersome blob of rotary-knob-and-cursor-buttons variety. Impressively, Jaguar is the other premium auto maker utilising such smarter, simpler, more intuitive and hence safer-to-use touch-screen LCD interface. Lexus is the other luxury automotive brand employing similar solution to their in-car navi-infotainment system, in their GS and LS models.

The refreshed Cayman models are slated to go on sale by Q1 2009 in Europe. For Wheels reckon it will be Q4 2009, or even Q1 2010, for right-hand drive models to make it to Malaysian shores. Expect PDK to be standard equipment for all local Cayman models, with a likely 15% - 20% price premiums over the pre-facelift Caymans.

You may want to read these:

Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 1
Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 2