[Efthreeoh]

I'd like to chime in a bit. I have a '97 Z3 (M44) and a '08 Z4 3.0si Coupe. I'm not even sure if we all have the same definition of a sports car, but I think the excepted general definition is a small car with 2 seats, light weight with good reflexes. I looked seriously at a '08 Cayman prior to ending up with the Z4. The Cayman was the 1st modern-era mid/rear engine Porsche I'd driven; it wasn't the orgasmic, driving-nirvana experience I was expecting. I chose the Z4 over it. The Cayman didn't fit me well in the shoulders, and I actually like looking at an engine in a sports car, especially one that has a potential shaft bearing issue to keep track of. I'm sure at 10/10ths and maybe 9/10ths the Cayman is the more engaging car, but for me those levels of driving get you jail time in my state.

I think Porsche can make the Cayman/Boxster and 911 focused sports cars because its parent company is Volkswagen, which is a huge car company (2nd or 3rd in the industry) that makes volumes of inexpensively-built cars off of one chassis architecture. BMW is the 13th largest manufacturer and has no financial ability to make a purpose-built sports car chassis; hell, it had to amortize the cost of the Z4 with Toyota for God's sake, that says enough.