Porsche lifts the lid on drop-top 911
Open-top sports car is more powerful than the car it replaces
Porsche has revealed the latest incarnation of its 911 Cabriolet.
Initially available in rear-wheel-drive Carrera S and all-wheel drive Carrera 4S specifications, the drop-top 911 uses a twin-turbocharged flat-six boxer engine with 444bhp and 530Nm of torque.
Porsche claims that the Cabriolet can hit 60mph in just 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 190mph. The all-wheel-drive version shaves the acceleration time – down to 3.6 seconds – but can’t achieve as high of a top speed, at 188mph.
Both versions utilise a newly-developed eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox.
Porsche has given the 911 Cabriolet a wider appearance on the road; in fact, even rear-wheel-drive versions now match the width of the all-wheel-drive models, usually broader by 44mm. Large 20-inch wheels sit at the front, complemented by 21-inch versions at the rear.
The folding roof, with its integrated glass rear window, contains a roof structure with magnesium surface elements called ‘bows’, which help to avoid the ballooning of the roof at higher speeds. Incidentally, the roof can be raised or lowered in around 12 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph.
It’s the first time that the 911 Cabriolet has been available with Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) too. The standard springs are shorter and stiffer too, and when coupled with toughened front and rear anti-roll bars make for a car which offers up a more neutral feeling on the road.
Porsche has included an innovative new ‘wet’ driving mode in the Cabriolet. It can detect water on the road, precondition the car’s safety systems accordingly and warn the driver too who can then adjust the vehicle’s settings to a more safety-bias configuration via a button or a mode switch on the steering wheel.
The new Porsche 911 Cabriolet is available to order now, with prices starting at £102,755 for the Carrera S, and £108,063 for the Carrera 4S.
