Late last year I drove the 2007 Porsche Cayman to the annual Car of the Year testing annually conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. I remarked that of the 300 or so cars and trucks being tested, I preferred the Cayman.

The other annual event I now make a point of attending is June'sFleetwood Country Cruise-in staged by Steve Plunkett on his estate west of London, Ont.

Last yearI journeyed down in a 911 Carrera, but this year a Cayman available, I jumped at it because of its frugal nature (for a Porsche) and because it is such a delight to drive.

You can get heated arguments among Porsche aficionados about which is the best model, but when it comes to pure handling, they'll probably all agree it is the Cayman.

There are currently two versions of the Cayman available that share the same platform as the Boxster. The Cayman S came first in 2006 with the bigger 3.4-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine derived from the state-of-the-Porsche-art 3.6-litre used in the 911 (known to Porsche insiders as Model 997). The 3.4-litre is a lusty beast with a soaring induction note as it accelerates. It produces 295 hp and 250 lb/ft of torque.

The 2007 Cayman (no "S") is considered the base model with the same 2.7-litre (boxer) six-cylinder as found in the Boxster making 245 hp and 201 lb/ft of torque. The Cayman tested here comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission while the Cayman S has a six-speed manual. Porsche's five-speed "Tiptronic" sequential shift box with steering wheel mounted toggle shift buttons is an option on both Caymans.

Top speed on the Cayman manual is 160 mph (151 mph w/Tiptronic) and it accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds (6.7 seconds w/Tiptronic). By comparison, the Cayman S has a top speed of 171 mph (166 mph w/Tiptronic) and does 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds (5.8 seconds w/Tiptronic).

Weighing in at just 1,300 kg (2,866 lb), the Cayman with its centrally mounted engine and very low centre of gravity makes for the kind of handling you don't have to be a racecar driver to appreciate.

You think it and the Cayman does it.Credit Rick (Ricky the Racer) Bye for turning me into a Porsche lover. A multi championship race winner and equally effective driving instructor, he taught me that Porsches don't need to be pushed to go well. In this car, the more relaxed you are, the better it responds. Sounds incongruous I know, but this is just one facet of Porsches I've come to enjoy over the years.

In the Cayman you and the engine are placed between the front and rear wheels. If you draw a cross connecting the four wheels, the nexus will be right between the seat back on the engine firewall.

What that does is place the driver on the crux of the turning action like being at the centre of a compass. Steer into the right and you just don't sense, but you can feel, the left part of the car turning with you. If you are over aggressive, that sense can tell you the rear is coming around too fast and you instinctively correct it.

Like I said, you think it and the Cayman does it.

The brakes on the Cayman are 11.7- and 11.8-inch ventilated rotors front and rear with four-piston calipers. On the Cayman the calipers are grey not the standout red as used on the Cayman S.

While the standard wheel on the Cayman is a 17-incher, my tester came with the optional 18-inch alloy wheel and tire package. It was the only option on the car at $1,730, raising the base $69,800 price to $72,675 that included a $1,085 shipping fee.

Inside, the leather seats and trim are done in what Porsche calls "Stone Grey Standard Leather" but if you have deeper pockets there are some interesting choices, but believe me, the standard leather is fine.

While this can be considered a "bargain basement" Porsche, if there is such a thing, it is fully equipped and laid out in the classic, signature Porsche style. That means the ignition key slot is on the left of the steering wheel. This started in the 1950s at LeMans where the race started with the drivers sprinting across the track, jumping in, starting up and roaring off. In typical Porsche attention to detail, they concluded using the left hand to start the car and the right to grip the wheel saved a second or so and got the driver out on the track just that much quicker and ahead of others.

There is also the three-pot gauge cluster with a big tachometer right in the centre of the driver's line of sight. If you let your right hand drop from the steering wheel, it falls directly onto the gearshift lever. This is what decades of refinement bring.

Clutch pedal pressure is not light like a Mazda Miata I drove the week after but it is firm and the travel is balanced. Same thing for the brake pedal that has a bit shorter travel which is all part of the heel-and-toe thing for those who know, or still care, how to do it effectively.

There is no suspension dip fore or aft at launch. When moving, you can't really feel the suspension working which, again, is the result of decades of fine-tuning.

The Cayman is equipped with a myriad of driver aids like antilock brakes (ABS or what I have come to call Ability to Brake and Steer which describes it much better) and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) or pitch and yaw control and a total of six airbags.

One thing about Porsches is they can be thirsty. But the Cayman is almost in the econocar bracket with fuel consumption ratings of 10.1L/100 km (28 mpg) city and 6.6L/100 km (42 mpg) highway with the automatic.

However, I would have preferred the six-speed manual in the 2006 Cayman S.Painted in what Porsche calls "Speed Yellow" this car definitely stands out.

So too does the active rear spoiler that deploys at 75 mph, a dead giveaway that you have been naughty on the road. Thankfully there is a switch on the dashboard that overrides the spoiler so you can hide any transgressions.

Heading down to London, I put the Cayman on cruise. At least once I say Mr. Policeman come boiling up from behind in an unmarked Crown Vicky only to find I was doing just a hair over 100 km/h. Probably disappointed he didn't bag a Porsche that day, he quickly went after a minivan.

Besides the delightful handling, the sound of the engine at full song was music to a car guy's soul.

At over 4,000 rpm the engine air intakes on each side of the car and the variable valve timing combine to produce a hollow bellow that rises and rises to the redline and then you get to do it all over again as you change up to the next gear.

A car like the Cayman can't be experienced on TV or over the internet. You have to be in it to hear the sounds and feel the steering wheel talking back to you.

Try one on for size and you'll find out that Ricky the Racer told me years go is true, it spoils you for anything else.

BODY STYLE: Two-seat performance coupe.

DRIVE METHOD: mid-engine,

rear-wheel-drive.

ENGINE: 2.7-litre horizontally-opposed, six-cylinder (245

hp, 201 lb/ft)

FUEL ECONOMY: 10.1L/100 km (28 mpg) city, 6.8L/100 km (42

mpg) highway

PRICE: Base, $69,600, as tested, $72,675 including $1,085

shipping charge.

WEBSITE: porsche.ca