BEST OF ALL PORSCHES? Porsche pushes Boxster-based Cayman coupe to near-911 level.(Porsche Cayman)

Byline: GREG KABLE

Porsche's eagerly anticipated take on a Boxster coupe will emerge as an all-new model, a two-door named Cayman, positioned squarely between the Boxster S and the 911.

Porsche will begin to produce the Cayman in August prior to its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and will pitch it as an out-and-out driver's car, more focused than both the 911 and Boxster from which it is derived.

Not only does the sleek new coupe carry a new name, it also receives a unique 295-hp version of Porsche's classic flat-six engine, and a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive chassis honed at the Nurburgring by ex-rally ace Walter Rohrl. Porsche insiders say the Cayman has already lapped the 14-mile German circuit faster than the latest 911.

Codenamed C7, Porsche conceived the new coupe to combine the best traits of the 911 Carrera and Boxster: the inherent rigidity of the 911's closed body design and the favorable balance of the Boxster's mid-mounted driveline.

These scoop photographs, taken as the Cayman hit public roads after more than two years of secret testing, expose the curvaceous appearance the coupe will carry into production.

The initial Cayman model will feature a newly developed 3.4-liter, 295-hp version of Porsche's four-valve-per-cylinder flat-six. A range-topping 305-hp Cayman S model will follow, positioned halfway between the 3.2-liter, 280-hp Boxster S and the 3.6-liter, 325-hp 911 Carrera. Porsche will also launch a cheaper, 3.2-liter Cayman model.