Jumping behind the wheel of our SUV chase car requires massive adjustment as I follow the green crocodile, diving on Andermatt  then darting its nose towards the Furkapass. The silhouette has this odd, slim look, but the 20mm lower sport chassis gives a more purposeful stance and the small black wing dresses an otherwise naked rear. Everywhere on our path, heads turn and cameras pop out. The color combo is most certainly a contributor, but the car has that zest that attracts attention and sympathy. I jump back behind the wheel at the junction between the Grimsel and Susten passes. In the first sweepers, the low center of gravity and absence of inertia impress, allowing determined steering inputs. There’s no lag, no roll, no weight transfer, no dive under hard breaking. Precise, playful, gratifying, in a form factor that never feels awkward or intimidating on these narrow roads. The 3.4 liter six requires to be worked hard to spring out of tight hairpins with pace, but you never tire of playing soloist in this heel & toe concert.

On open roads and in pure driving pleasure terms, the Cayman R offers in my way a driving experience which is more natural and pure than a 911, more attractive and entertaining than a 997 GT3 for instance. Better sprung, more exploitable, a realistic package in the context of legal and safety contingencies that cannot be ignored. The verdict would be otherwise for track work where the superior traction, high speed stability and sheer performance envelope of a 997 GT3 are no match. Contrary to common wisdom, the Cayman R will most likely demand more skill at the limit on a fast track than its rear-engined cousin.

The dry sump 3.4L flat 6 cranks out 370 Nm at 4750 rpm and 330 hp at 7400rpm. As turbocharged hot hatches now hunt in 300hp+ territory, cue BMW 1M and Audi RS3, these figures are becoming surprisingly – and alarmingly – unimpressive, but thanks to tangible weight savings, the Cayman’s straight line performance is first grade. We measured 1358kg on our corner scales with a full tank of gas (45.7% front, 54.3% rear), a massive 164kg advantage over our test BMW 1M. The Cayman R wins the power-to-weight  match hands down with 4.11 kg/ch. In naturally aspirated terms, the engine pulls well from 2000 t/min, and progression goes crescendo through the rev range, all the way to the red line. This engine is so keen that hitting the limiter isn’t rare at first if you don’t keep an eye on the needle. Flywheel diet must have been on the menu in Zuffenhausen as stalling while maneuvering if one fails to feed just enough gas to keep the engine running. The exhaust note of the optional PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust, a hefty 3550 CHF) is rich and refined, less raspy that a Carrera. Elegant harmonics dress the rev range in normal mode, and when switched on, open valves give a more bassy tone to the ensemble. At 11.67 L/100km, measured gas mileage (11.0L/100km according to the trip computer) was a good surprise given the pace of this test.