May 2014 Car Of The Month – 987 Porsche Cayman
WO1 Triantos is stationed out at Ft. Rucker in Alabama, training to be one of the elite few to pilot the badass AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. Now, personally, I have only flown helicopters of the remote control variety, and even then, you don’t so much “fly” the helicopter as you “actively keep it from crashing” – it takes some serious precision to manage a rotorcraft. So it makes sense then, that a future AH-64 Apache Pilot would have something he could control with equal precision as his personal car. That’s why we’ve chosen this gorgeous 987 Porsche Cayman as our May 2014 Car Of The Month. Check out the details that make this mid-engined Porsche so special.
Pilots have always had a love affair with fast cars, it’s almost a tradition – the original Apollo astronauts had matching Chevrolet Corvettes (of course someone who pilots a rocket would want a straight-line monster!), and to this day the USAF has actually had military-commissioned musclecars to run alongside and guide U-2 Recon planes to the ground as they land – the latest of which were Pontiac G8 GXPs, among many generations of GM muscle. So naturally then, it makes sense that a future helo pilot would have something fast with precision handling that’ll respond to his every input – a very dialed in 987 Porsche Cayman. US Army Warrant Officer Bobby Triantos recently worked with USN Vet and ModBargains Modification Expert Kirk Villeneuve to put a set of Forgestar Wheels for Porsches on WO Triantos’ 2007 987 Porsche Cayman.
These Forgestar CF10 Wheels for Porsche are spec’d out at 20×9 up front and 20×10 rear, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Tires to make this beautiful wheel package stick to the ground. Kirk recommended this fitment for the car and the end result looks fantastic. A few subtle exterior mods set the car apart, including a Fluid 987 Carbon Fiber Extended Rear Spoiler, custom painted grilles and foglamp spears and a set of custom Cayman R stripes round out the aesthetics for a purposeful but subtle look.
Though you wouldn’t know by looking, this 987 is anything but stock – a suite of subtle but effective modifications make this Cayman a croc with some real bite. The performance of the flat-six under the rear bonnet has been beefed up slightly by removing the airbox snorkel and a Softronic ECU tune. Originally from San Jose, WO1 Triantos grew up close to world famous Laguna Seca Raceway and Thunderhill (this Cayman has seen track time at both) and has been actively modifying his vehicles for the last decade. What’s more, the 987 isn’t his first Porsche, either – it’s his 10th!
Before his Cayman, WO1 Triantos has owned nearly every enthusiast Porsche – from the obvious Vintage 911 and 912s to the aspirational 924 and even its beefier brother (and star of Risky Business), the 928, as well as the Cayman’s convertible brother, the Boxster.
The deep blue color is complimented by the Gloss Gunmetal Forgestar CF10 wheels. The stance here is perfect. The wheel gap is minimal, but not so low as to compromise the functionality of the car in any way. Function and form, in perfect harmony.
Sitting on a set of Bilstein PSS9 Coilovers for Porsche Cayman, the ride height is perfect and thanks to quality Bilstein engineering, even with coilovers, the ride isn’t awful either. Further enhancing the handling performance is a set of Pagid Orange Brake pads and another set of 18″ wheels and tires specifically for trackdays – WO1 Triantos tells us that he built the car with competing in a specific class in mind and is looking forward to tracking the 987 Cayman at Barber Motorsports Park when his flight training schedule permits.
While on most cars, a 20″ wheel might be too large, on the Cayman, with its sexy rounded hips, they’re a great fit and look totally at home on the car. Since the car is fairly close to where he wants it to fit right into the class he intended it for, this project’s looking like it’s coming to a close. However, this is by far his last Porsche project – ohhh no. WO1 Triantos informed us that he is currently engaged to a lovely young woman (Congratulations!!), which happens to be a great excuse to build a badass Porsche Cayenne for the wifey. We should all be so lucky to have a loved one build a car for us!
All in all, the build of this Cayman is beautifully executed, and we are thrilled to have been a part of it.
A big thank you to US Army Warrant Officer Triantos for sharing his photos with us – and our compliments on the photography.
Of course, if you’re interested in picking up a set of Forgestars for yourself, check out our selection here or call 714-582-3330 to get a quote on your favorite style for your vehicle today,
and dial extension 8013 to speak with Modification Expert Kirk Villeneuve directly.
Story by Nicholas Gregson in collaboration with Modification Expert Kirk Villeneuve