2006 Porsche Cayman Coupe

The way we see it Porsche's major problem with its new Cayman S sports car is not selling it—we think this sweetheart will find a ready-and-willing audience—but in keeping the requisite distance between the new model and its icon, the 911. The fact of the matter is the beautifully balanced mid-engine Cayman S, derived from the Boxster, is so close to matching the 911 in overall performance that Porsche engineers likely struggled with making the Cayman S as good as it could be without upstaging the significantly more expensive flagship. Not that they skimped in any area. Compared to the Boxster, the Cayman S sports a larger, more powerful 3.4-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, and Porsche admits that in testing at Germany's famed Nürburgring racing circuit, the Cayman S turned in lap times nearly equaling its big brother. Nimble, responsive and exquisitely styled and finished, the Cayman S is a car that will make you fall in love with driving all over again.