Imagine CARtoday.com reader Graeme Ryley’s surprise when he spotted a convoy of what appeared to be disguised Porsche 911 Turbo and Cayman prototypes in Park Rynie, just south of Scottburgh this week... Graeme gives us a first-hand account.

Imagine CARtoday.com reader Graeme Ryley’s surprise when he spotted a convoy of what appeared to be disguised Porsche 911 Turbo and Cayman prototypes in Park Rynie, just south of Scottburgh this week... Graeme gives us a first-hand account.


“I spotted the convoy of about 10 vehicles at a Caltex fuel station on the forecourt of a motor dealership in Park Rynie, which is where I work, on Thursday. All the test cars had German number plates and I think there were 3 Turbos and 2 Caymans,” Graeme, a keen-eyed motor enthusiast, told CARtoday.com.


Last week, it was rumoured that a convoy of Porsche prototypes had been spotted in the Cape Town area, but when the troupe pitched up in KwaZulu Natal, Graeme had his cellphone ready to digitally capture the event.


CARtoday.com reported earlier this week that Porsche AG’s Boxster-based coupé, the Cayman, would go into production in August, shortly before the model was officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The emergence of what appears to be 997-series 911 Turbo prototypes, however, came as a bit of a surprise in light of statements Zuffenhausen executives made at the world launch of the 911 Cabriolet last month. At the event, it was announced that because sales of 996-series 911 Turbo models were still going strong, the 997-versions of the sports car would not be introduced in the very near future.


“I noticed the Caymans because of their centre rear exhausts - very similar to that of the new Boxster - as well as the horizontally-vented air intakes between the doors and rear wheel arches. When comparing it with a 997-series Carrera one could immediately see that the angle of the Cayman’s rear roofline was sharper and ‘indented’ between the rear lights.


“I first thought that they could be Caymans because of the (picture I saw in the) March issue of CAR as well as the article on CARtoday.com in the last week, and was attracted to the disguised cars that were obviously not 997-generation Porsche Carreras. When comparing them to the Turbo I could see that the lights where slightly different too (as you can see in the photos, the lights were not covered),” he added.


To read CARtoday.com’s latest report on the upcoming Porsche Cayman, click here.


CARtoday.com e-mailed Graeme a recent spy picture of what was thought to be a disguised prototype of the 911 Turbo so that he could compare it with the cars he saw at the fuel station.


“The Turbo I saw had a similar wheel design but the colour of the rim was dark, almost black. The rear spoiler and air dams made it stand out immediately,” Graeme said.


“The test team all appeared to be German nationals. I approached one of the team members and asked: ‘is that the new 911 Turbo that’s not yet in production?’ but he just looked at me. When I asked the question again he smiled and said: ‘yes’ and nothing else,” the enthusiast added.


Little is known about the specification of the future 911 Turbo, although reports say that it will be powered by a 336 kW 3,6-litre flat six. Porsche is said to have increased the Turbo’s output by 22 kW via enhancements to the ECU, improvements to the VarioCam variable valve timing system and an increase in boost pressure.


Along with an uprated version of the 911’s six-speed manual and a new six-speed automatic transmission, Porsche’s next-generation Turbo could also use a double clutch gearbox, as pioneered by the firm for its 956/962 sports racing cars of yesteryear.


Developed in co-operation with Borg-Warner, the transmission’s ability to deliver rapid shifts without any interruption in power should see the zero to 100 km/h time drop to 3,7 seconds. Top speed should remain close to the existing model's 305 km/h, a British publication reported recently.

Original article from Car