Cayman S Build Part One: Pulling Parts and Planning

With a brief break in Autometrics Motorsports’ hectic race schedule and a loyal customer chomping at the bit to take to the track in his Porsche Cayman, the crew recently began our newest build. The Cayman in question is a clean—and we really do mean clean—stock, speed yellow, 2010 Porsche Cayman S with fewer than 30,000 miles on the clock.

Normally, at this point in the story, we get lots of questions asking why someone wouldn’t just buy a beater Cayman for conversion to a race car. But there are two very good reasons why every build should start with the best car available. The first is that pampered cars are—relatively speaking—known quantities. Was that really cheap Porsche borrowed by a former owner’s high school aged son who stopped practicing standing race starts from redline only long enough to spill chocolate milk in the defrost vents? Probably. The low mileage, shiny Porsche with a fresh smelling interior? Probably not.

The second, and most important reason to buy a pampered car, is that they are almost always significantly cheaper to build into a track car. Genuine Porsche parts aren’t exactly known for their reasonable prices, and more than a few are usually needed to return a beater to good form. And then they have to be installed….

Long story short, if you’re thinking about having a street car converted into a track car, get a carfax report on potential purchases and consider having Autometrics Motorsports either find or inspect your Porsche prior to purchase.

But back to this Cayman S and what should be the first step in every build: a good plan. Immediate plans call for the Porsche to be campaigned as an “I” class car in Porsche Club of America’s “J” class and then be converted further over time into a full-fledged GTB1 car. To that end the modifications will include:

A full, weld-in roll cage custom built to Autometrics Motorsports’ specifications
A state of the art exhaust fabricated by team partners and all-around performance exhaust experts Lucas Fab
A lightened, single-mass steel flywheel and matching clutch by Aasco Motorsports
Blade adjustable front and rear swaybars by team partners Tarett Engineering
Lightweight race wheels by team partner Forgeline
Double adjustable, external reservoir shocks by Motion Control
GT3 lower control arms
Transmission and power steering coolers

For all of this to take place, the Cayman had to come apart. Out came the windshield, interior, sound insulation, transmission, and anything that won’t eventually serve the purposes of speed or safety.

Now a roller, the Cayman stands ready to head to the fabrication shop. Stay tuned for our next installment when the Cayman gets a custom built, color matched roll cage.