Porsche Cayman Black Edition revealed

Porsche has revealed its latest limited-run sports car: the Cayman S Black Edition.

Created as a send-off for the current Cayman lineup, which is set to be replaced within the next 12 months, the coupe is planned to go on sale in July with a more powerful engine, a larger wheel-and-tire package and greater standard-equipment levels than those of the existing Cayman S.

Taking a page from Henry Ford, the Cayman S Black Edition is available in any color you like--as long as it's black

Inside, the Porsche gets black trims, black sport seats, a sport steering wheel, darkened instrument graphics, stainless-steel scuff plates with “Black Edition” inscriptions and a commemorative badge identifying it as one of a limited build of 500 units.

Powering the coupe is the same version of Porsche's naturally aspirated 3.4-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder found in the recently introduced Cayman R. It delivers 330 hp at 7,400 rpm--some 10 hp more than that of the Cayman S, along with 272 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm.

Porsche claims the Cayman S Black Edition will run from 0 to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds with a standard six-speed manual gearbox. An optional seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox improves standing-start acceleration to just 4.8 seconds. Top speed is 173 mph.

Underpinning the Cayman S Black Edition is the same chassis used by the standard Cayman S. The only change is the adoption of 19-inch wheels from the Cayman R, which measure 8.5 inches wide up front and 10 inches at the rear. They are shod with 235/35ZR-19 front and 265/35ZR-19 rear tires.

By Greg Kable