Porsche have finally given the beautifully capable Porsche Cayman the legs it has so longingly been craving for. May we excitedly introduce the stunning Porsche Cayman R.

As you will more than likely be aware, Porsche reserves the letter “R” only for very special sports cars: R stands for raw and responsive – but most especially for racy. Unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the new Cayman R delivers all of these characteristics in spades.

The combination of a 55-kg weight reduction and a 10-hp power increase over the Cayman S – as well as a specially-adapted sports chassis – ensure the new mid-engined sports car delivers a spectacularly precise, involving driving experience. Staying true to the Porsche Intelligent Performance development philosophy, it improves performance not just with more power, but through lower weight, as well.

Porsche’s new hardcore two-seater is powered by a specially-tuned 3.4-litre flat-six engine developing 330 hp. It transmits its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, propelling the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.0 seconds. With the addition of an optional seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) gearbox in combination with the optional Sport Chrono package, the same sprint takes just 4.7 seconds.

More importantly, Porsche engineers aimed to improve the Cayman’s performance and dynamics even further through a strict weight reduction regime. Weighing just 1,295 kg, the power-to-weight ratio of the Cayman R is just 3.9 kg/hp.