2013 Porsche Cayman cruises the European streets

It must be difficult being the engineer who test drives new car models on European city streets. At least it would be for me, because I would want to showcase the vehicle to anyone and everyone.

Remember, pre-production cars are driven under normal street conditions so the automaker can check if the car functions as planned before kicking off actual production. As such, we often come across pictures of heavily camouflaged pre-production vehicles laden with tape and funky paint jobs to hide body panels and the overall shape of the car.

So it comes as little surprise that the 2013 Porsche Cayman was recently spied cruising the European streets, with most of its camouflage consisting of copious amounts of dirt and mud.

I can see some hints of tape on the outside of the vehicle to cover up some things, but the interior appears to be more heavily disguised than the exterior of the car. The 2013 Porsche Cayman is expected to look similar to the new Boxster in a hardtop version.

While Porsche isn’t offering any details on the new Cayman, rumors are pointing to a launch this November at the Los Angeles Auto Show – a well known venue for rolling out new models. The Cayman is expected to undergo new bodywork on its exterior for 2013. Meanwhile, the interior is slated to go more upscale than previous Caymans, with styling cues taken from Porsche’s popular Panamera sedan.

MotorTrend reports that the standard Cayman will be equipped with the same 2.7-liter flat six engine as the Boxste, along with two transmission options: a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual clutch paddle shift. Note: The higher-end Cayman S is slated to boast a 3.4-liter flat six engine capable of producing about 330 hp.