David Mecey is a great friend of ours and one of the finest high performance driving instructors that a student could ever climb into a car with. He is also one of the most accomplished photographers in the business. Here are a few of his thoughts when it comes to cars that we have driven on real race tracks…..Here’s looking at you David…

 Coming from a background of being a hard-core BMW enthusiast and 
driver, had you asked me 5 years ago if I’d ever be caught in another 
marque, I’d probably have said no. But in the last few years with BMW 
changing a number of items in their list of needs for their cars 
adding weight and technologies which the enthusiast has no need, I’ve 
begun to look elsewhere for the car for me. Now I say this not to 
belittle what BMW is doing, but I do feel their direction is taking 
them down a path that makes them less of an enthusiasts’ car and more 
a car for the masses. Good for the bottom line yes, but not so good 
for we few that prefer a car that’s nimble and quick on its feet and 
able to stay that way without feeling our brakes go away while doing so.
As we all know, weight is a bad thing for a car you’re going to be 
putting on a racetrack. And though most people will never see a 
racetrack other than on SPEED channel, there are more than a few of 
us out there who do. And when we do, we like to put our cars through 
their paces which leaves no room for extra weight and technology 
doing our work for us.
So with that said, and with BMW actually teasing us with a ‘lighter’ 
ride in their new 1-series sedan in ‘08, I am going to talk a little 
about a car which I feel is one of the best out of the box rides I’ve 
driven in a long time. In fact, since I drove my E36 M3 which is a 
1995 model. That car to me was so together as a sports sedan. And 
though BMW continues to update their M3 platform, by doing so, that 
car is also gaining weight at each new iteration. The new M3 is 
looking like 3700 lbs.
What I like to see in a car is one with a wonderful power to weight 
ratio from the get-go. That being a car in the neighborhood of 3000 
lbs. (or less which is way better) with somewhere in the 300 to 350 
hp range. When you’ve got a car that is nimble, easy to drive fast, 
combined with very good power, you can make heavier cars with gobs of 
hp feel a bit intimidated trying to stay ahead of you. To me, this is 
what makes driving fun. To take a car with less horsepower and make 
it go very fast. And to me that’s the formula Porsche has put 
together when they designed their Cayman S sports car.
Going back into time and pulling design elements out of their famous 
550 Coupe and 904 Carrera GTS, they have created a beautifully 
elegant mix of speed and style. With the car weighing in at a claimed 
2980 lbs (feels way lighter to me, I’m guessing just north of the 
2900 lb mark myself) and a 3.4 L motor that puts out 295 hp, the 
thing is just a dream to drive. Add to the fact that you can add a 
larger plenum and intake hose for air, the motor easily gains another 
30 hp. Or, Porsche is hedging their numbers as I dynoed the car and 
the numbers don’t lie. A consistent 275 hp at the wheels. That 
equates to 320 hp at the crank. Exactly the type of number I like to 
see in a car of this type.
The mid-engine design layout is the other significant feature that 
brought me to this model. Though I truly respect the Porsche heritage 
with its rear engine layout, the mid-engine design to me is the 
ultimate layout for a sports car. One need look no further than the 
racetrack at all the mid-engine racecars that proliferate the GT race 
series to see that this is a very popular setup to make a great 
handling racecar.
The car pulls like crazy all the way to its 7300 rpm redline. But 
there’s really no need to go there as its making it’s max hp at 6350 
rpm, interestingly, right where Porsche claims it does. They didn’t 
hedge on that. But when you read what Porsche builds into their 
motor, how can it not make 320 hp with ease. Individual ignition 
coils, Lokasil-coated bore, forged aluminum pistons, forged 
connecting rods, crankshaft bearing bridge, dual oil pick-up, oil 
coolers, dry sump, etc. Can you say no need for aftermarket upgrades? 
Why would you when you can get a car prepped like this from the factory?
I ordered the car with Porsche’s PASM, or Porsche active suspension 
management, which basically changes the damping at all four corners 
as needed while firming the ride as well. There are three settings, 
the basic setting, normal and sport. For me normal has performed 
super for all conditions including everyday driving as I prefer a 
firmer ride. Sport, which I tried at the track really firms up the 
ride and is only suited to the most smooth track surface, such as 
say, Sears Point or Laguna Seca. We’ll be testing that stage out soon 
by the way.
Also ordered was Porsche’s sport exhaust. There is a felt difference 
in the car with this exhaust too, as I test drove an ‘06 without it, 
so I definitely feel a difference in this car with it. Besides the 
throatier sound it also remaps the throttle for a quicker and more 
immediate feel.
Speaking of feel, how can you talk about a Porsche and not mention 
the brakes. As has always been said, the brakes are amazing. Brake 
feel is immediate and sure. The pedal is firm from first touch and so 
linear that the first time I drove it I fell in love with it. How 
they have achieved this perfection I don’t know, but I do know that 
they are Porsche’s design fulfilled by Brembo. Nice collaboration 
there. I opted for the stock 4 piston calipers at all four corners 
but you can pay the extra $8100 and get the yellow painted PCCB’s 
that Porsche now offers. But to me on this car that would be just 
overkill. I’ll use that $ for new tires thank you very much!
Now let’s talk about that superb handling shall we? The car is 
excellent in steering feel by the way. Though I can feel bumps 
through the steering, that’s what I want. I am a driver and I want to 
know exactly what the car is feeling in order to know how to counter 
should it be necessary. The car turns in quickly and with ease. Yes, 
go in way too hot and you can get the car to under-steer (that’s just 
so wrong) but if you go in smoothly with your eyes up, brake the car 
to a perfect entry speed, turn the steering smoothly while looking 
way ahead, you can get back on the throttle early and feel the car 
come around with such aplomb, well, it just makes you grin from ear 
to ear! Now that’s what I call turn in, apex, and exit speed. That’s 
what I’m talking about!
When I drove the car at Buttonwillow Raceway (it’s first BuRP 
outing) I could not believe the speeds I could carry with the car, 
and, on street tires. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050’s are a 
remarkable tire. Great feel, grip, and hold. In fact, it gives me 
pause to think how much faster I could go if I were to try some ‘R’ 
type tires on this car. Scary fast is the best analogy I think to 
describe it. Just ask one of our CCA instructors (Tony Cattedra) whom 
I was giving a ride as to the ease by which we were reeling in E46 
M3’s during our laps together. He was beside himself and I was just, 
well, grinning from ear to ear.
That seems to be the perpetual state of mind when driving the Cayman 
S. A grin from ear to ear car is the best way to describe it. I read 
all this chatter about the car needing more hp, blah, blah, blah and 
I just smile. Because I’m guessing these are the same guys who buy 
GT3’s and twin-turbos with that 400+ hp in order to have all that 
striaght-a-way speed at the touch of a toe. Well, with enough exit 
speed I’m capable of carrying almost the same amount with a 100 hp 
less. Yes, a well driven GT3 will run away from me but one that’s 
just being ‘driven’, I will make them think twice about paying that 
extra $60 grand.
What a great car in a 2-seater design. Gorgeous looks, great 
handling and just a ton of fun to drive. Every time I climb into it I 
smile. And to me, that’s what I want in a car.David Mecey