According to Don Rosen Imports, Porsche will launch a base version of its Cayman sports coupe priced at $49,400 in Europe and the United States on July 29.

Just like the more powerful Cayman S, it is derived from Porsche’s Boxster but the new model will this time share the soft-top roadster’s same mid-mounted 2.7-liter, six-cylinder engine instead of having its own.

The Cayman S was positioned to fit between the Boxster S and Porsche’s base 911 Carrera, the new Cayman will perform similarly to the Boxster but have the fixed roof of its more powerful sibling the Cayman S.

The base version Cayman will deliver a little extra horsepower of 245, allowing it to reach a top speed of 160 mph and finish the 0-62 mph sprint in 6.1 seconds. By comparison, the base Boxster’s top speed is 159 mph and it requires 6.2 seconds to hit 62 mph from a standstill.

In the Porsche Cayman S, Boxster S’s 3.2-liter flat six has been upped to 3.4 liters for duty in the Cayman S, and power has been upped accordingly to 295 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque, increases of 15 hp and 19 lb-ft.

The Cayman also gets stiffer springs, thicker anti-roll bars, different front-end styling, and new bodywork aft of the doors. The biggest difference, however, is in the driving. According to Porsche, the new steel roof doubles torsional rigidity; the handling and chassis communication are better than ever. [PRWEB]