Jim’s Big Adventure
Back in 2008, I got the itch for a Porsche. I went to Houston and drove a couple of 911’s, then a salesperson suggested I drive a Cayman. I resisted, but he handed me the keys and I drove off for a test drive. I was AMAZED! It felt perfect! Like it was built just for me. Halfway through the test drive I told the salesperson, “Finalize the deal, this is THE car!”
This particular car was equipped like no other I had seen. Most of the new Porsches I had seen were loaded up with options, almost bloated. Tons of stuff that I thought had no purpose in a “sports car”. This particular Cayman was lightly optioned, just the necessities, but with one exception. It was a Sport Chrono car. It was, and is, the only Cayman 2.7 I had ever seen with this option. Sport Chrono is a program that changes the fuel map for quicker acceleration and higher engine redline. It also includes a really cool, if somewhat useless, retro-looking clock timer on the dash for lap times, splits, etc. It is an expensive option, and rarely seen on this car.
The Cayman 2.7 was the lightest Porsche offered that year, with a stiff coupe body structure. The wheel/tire combination, along with the smaller (but still amazingly strong) brakes, combine to make the lightest unsprung weight available. My car, with minimal options was even lighter, weighing in around 2800 lbs. To my eyes, this Cayman’s purity is a direct throwback to the “Giant Killer” race cars of the 50’s & 60’s. The shape is reminiscent of the beautiful Porsche 550 Coupe and the 904.
It was an amazing ownership experience, and I kept the car for four years. Then, in a weak moment, I accepted an offer on it and sold. I immediately regretted it, but used the money to buy a new cab tractor for the farm. Life went on, and on occasion I would surf the ‘net looking for this car. Not looking to buy it back, but just mostly curious about where it landed. Still, I missed it.
Then one Wednesday evening, we got some real bad news on a good friend. My friend Marvin had passed after a terrible bout with cancer. It was like a gut-punch. Marvin and I were the same age. It was one of those “Look in the mirror” moments to see your own mortality staring back at you. The following morning, I sat at my computer with a cup of coffee reading the touching messages from Marvin’s many friends on Facebook. With tears in my eyes, I finally forced myself to stop reading them. Needed a distraction, bad! So I did something I never had done before… I went to eBay, and searched for “2007 Cayman”.
Through my swollen eyes, I saw that the first car that popped up looked a lot like mine. Arctic Silver, standard wheels. I zoomed in on the dash, there was the Sport Chrono clock! My heart started pounding! I went to the provided Carfax link. There it was, my address! It was MY CAR!
I went back through the ad, reading the details. Miles very low, all records, unmolested car. It was like a dream. Janet woke up and came in to see what I was hollering and jumping around the room for. She knew better than anyone what that car had meant to me. She did what she always does, she said, “Go for it!”
I contacted the owner, and after a lengthy conversation about condition and service history, I bought the car. Now to figure out how to get it home! The owner warned me about an impending snow storm they were expecting to come through on Saturday. I bought an airline ticket for early the next morning, and it was on! The owner picked me up in the car at the airport, and we took it back to his house for the inspection. The car was amazing! The fellow that I had sold it to in early 2013 was an amazing steward of this car! It was spotless and unmolested, looking just like it did the day it left my property!
Time to bring her home! Checked tire pressures, and I hit the road out of Murfreesboro around 11:00. The car felt like an old friend, it even smelled the same as I remembered. With my trusty Google maps (turns out not so trusty) on my phone, I chose my best and fastest route home. A quick stop for fuel and a Subway, and off I went! Making good time, or so I thought, the navigation on my phone re-routed me to another road. When I attempted to correct the error, I lost cell service and Google Maps no longer functioned. I was lost in the hills of Tennessee!
When I finally found a convenience store, and inquired about a paper road map or directions, I was met with blank stares. Seemed the only southbound road any of them knew was the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Natchez Trace Parkway is a two-lane national park road that stretches 444 miles into Mississippi, and has a 50mph speed limit! It was not my first choice!
When I finally realized that no one was going to be able to direct me onto any highway in the area, the Trace seemed my only option to get to Mississippi. Off I went! It was a beautiful drive with stretches of 50 or more miles where I did not see another vehicle. There are no filling stations, or stores along the route, but I had a full tank and a half-eaten sandwich! Nothing wrong here!
In hindsight, I am glad I took the Trace. It was an amazing experience, and a great bonding time with my old dream car. Crossed from Tennessee, into Alabama, then Mississippi. Weather was perfect, cool and sunny. I drove most of the Trace with the windows down and the radio off, just soaking in the beauty.
I got off the Natchez Trace at Eupora, picked up 55 heading south to Jackson and turned up the dial a bit! Made good time to Lousiana, and crossed the Texas state line at about midnight. Finally pulled into the driveway around 1:30, thoroughly exhausted but none the worse for wear. The Cayman was the perfect partner for a 13+ hour drive, with wonderfully comfortable and supportive seats. And averaged around 30mpg.
Now the Cayman has come home. I detailed it the next day, clayed and waxed. To my eyes, looks new. And it’s the most beautiful car I have ever seen…
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Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Oakland
Originally Posted by chip w
