Porsche Cayman news - Cayman shooting fake - 2009

Remember that Cayman ‘shooting brake' which mysteriously appeared on our US site a few weeks back?

Well, it's time to ’fess up. It's a big fake. A big computer-generated fake. A big computer-generated fake created by our friends in the US. Not a bad bit of fakery, eh?

Former TopGear.com US editor Jared Holstein has admitted he created the wagonised Cayman to highlight ‘the increasing convergence of reality and simulation'. He cooked up the idea of firing a Cayman shooting brake into the viral interweb this summer, and left it to digital arts student Matt Duval to create the car itself.

It fooled plenty. The viral clip was fastidious in its detail, using Porsche development numberplates and wheels, and featuring design cues from the Panamera. Though the street scene was shot in Brooklyn, an Italian soundtrack was added to give the clip a European flavour.

Why did they do it? "It's never been done before," says Jared. "We love wagons. And we wanted to see what we could accomplish with a high degree of sophistication, but with only a conservative effort."

Jared admits he left a clue in the clip, however. "There is a Stig helmet partially visible in the rear hatch at about the nine-second mark," he says. "Perhaps too hidden..."

So, on behalf of our US colleagues... sorry. Very late April Fool's. But if you're reading, Porsche, maybe it's time to make the fake a reality?