Gojirra99

Is it finally the equal of the coupe?
by Ian Norris (2005-02-28)

If your coiffure can stand a 180-mph blast, Porsche now has the car that can deliver it.

Cynics may say no to convertibles for today's driving conditions, but there are plenty of people in California , Florida , Texas , the south of France and anywhere else where the sun shines who will say an enthusiastic "yes" to an open sports car. Porsche has its finger on their pulse - hence the company's swift introduction of the droptop version of the latest iteration of the classic 911.

Last year, forty years after the original introduction of the 911, the model that defines the brand, Porsche introduced the latest take on its iconic model. The general opinion was that what factory insiders called the 997 was the greatest 911 so far. Evolution rather than revolution has always been Porsche's policy for the 911 family, and the 997 is better in every way than its predecessor.

More powerful flat-six engines - a 3.6-liter developing 325 hp in the Carrera model and a 3.8-liter unit with 355 hp for the even more sporting S model were coupled with a new six-speed manual gearbox or the option of the five-speed Tiptronic automated box. The chassis and suspension were improved, more use was made of electronics in both engine-management and handling aids, and the interior was made more luxurious with better driver ergonomics. In terms of style, there was no need to mess with the classic shape, but subtle changes brought back round headlamps to replace the odd-shaped units of the previous model and a widening of the body over the rear wheels, making the 911's haunches slightly more pronounced and certainly sexier.

Cabrio close

The changes helped the new 911 to sell 19 percent more than the old model in its first months in the showrooms, and Porsche is riding that wave of popularity by launching the convertible Carrera, the Cabriolet, so closely on the tail of the coupe. Like almost every convertible version of the 911, it doesn't look quite as good as its coupe counterpart when the top is up. However, the engineers have achieved parity with the coupe in one important aspect; with the top up, the convertible is as slippery through the air as the fixed-head model, with a drag co-efficient of 0.29, an impressive figure for a soft-top.

The top is a work of art - it raises or lowers in 20 seconds and the procedure can be carried out at up to 30 mph. It's taut and draft-proof when up and thanks to the folding mesh screen behind seats and the deep side windows, it's comfortable and free of turbulence when the top is down, allowing a normal conversation to be held at cruising speeds. However, it's unlikely that anyone would want to drive the cabriolet to its maximum speed with the top down - not when you consider that the maximum for the S is 182 mph. The Carrera only goes up to 177.

There was a time when convertibles offered the pleasures of open-air driving but made the owner pay in terms of creaks and groans from a body that flexed in annoyance at having its roof cut off. The floppy chassis didn't help handling either. Today things have changed. Computer modelling helps designers build stiffness into a convertible body, finding out where the weak points are and strengthening them where necessary. To make the Cabriolet body stiff enough to give handling that's comparable with the coupe, Porsche designers have used a type of ultra-high-strength steel that has twice the tensile strength of normal steel. They have also added strengthening plates in the doorsills where the windshield and doorposts are connected (the A and B posts in technical terms).

Other strengthening points are designed for crash safety, channelling the forces of a collision into the body structure to protect the cockpit area. Other safety features are designed to protect the occupants in a rollover accident; the windshield surround is a strong protective hoop, while there are also rollbars that spring up when the car's internal brain senses a rollover accident. Inside the cockpit there are no less than six airbags, including two that deploy to cover the side windows, protecting the occupants' heads and shielding them from flying glass.

Built-in virtues

With the same powertrain and chassis components as the coupe variants, the Carrera and Carrera S convertibles offer very similar handling and performance virtues. Seat-bending acceleration, maximum speeds that are beyond the legal practically everywhere, and braking and cornering performance that would have won the Le Mans 24-hour race just a few years ago are all there. Cornering is assisted by Porsche's Active Suspension Management system, which is standard on the S and optional on the less-powerful model. The system utilizes adaptive dampers and electronic sensors that enable them to react to driving and road conditions to give the best possible driving feel, whether it be comfortable for the freeway or stiffer for back-road blitzes.

For drivers that like to get their kicks off Route 66 and on a race track, there is the option of Porsche's Sports Chrono Package. On the surface, this comprises a stopwatch that's mounted atop the dash, but under the surface there is much more. It's designed for track-day use and not only does it read out lap times; it records them so that they can be read out in graphical form on the car's sat-nav/in-car entertainment screen, and it also adjusts the suspension characteristics to provide the maximum on track entertainment. There's even a setting that allows the driver to powerslide the car without the electronic handling aids stepping in to say no.

Inside, the convertible is lush and comfortable; today's sports car drivers no longer accept discomfort as part of the open-car experience. Well-shaped leather-clad seats grip comfortably and provide sufficient adjustment to make sure that even oversize drivers (your correspondent is 6'4" and the wrong side of 250 pounds) are not cramped. To suit every body size and taste, Porsche offers no less than four seat options, some of which adjust in twelve different ways, across the two models.

On the road, the Cabriolet is nothing but a Porsche, with everything one has come to expect from the marque. Acceleration, speed, and handling are on a par with the coupe, setting standards for others to match.

There's one subtle difference to the driving sensation however, and that's tied in with the obvious quality of a soft-top, the fact that for much of the time, there's nothing between the driver's ears and the exhaust pipes. Porsche knows what enthusiastic drivers want, because the engineers are all enthusiasts themselves, and they know that the sound a car makes is very important. They have spent a lot of time tuning the exhaust system of the convertible so that when the top is down the driver gets the full benefit of how a car like this should sound. Drive off from rest and there's a gruff growl that hangs on, rising until the gearshift point comes. From then it resolves itself into a pleasant rumble, until you put your foot down to overtake or just build up some speed for the fun of it. That's the point when the evidence of your ears combines with all your other senses to let you know that you are in a car with a power output that's well into the muscular segment. Listen to the exhaust, grab a glance into the door mirror to see those haunches, and you'll never want to put the top up.

The cost of this pleasure? In the States, it's $79,100 for the Carrera Cabriolet and $88,900 for the S. Start saving now, for in a first for Porsche, the cars will go on sale first in the U.S. They will be in Stateside Porsche dealers in mid-March, while Europeans won't get their hands on the cars until April.

source : thecarconnection

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If I have a chance to get one of these some day, I'd still prefer it in coupe form. In terms of looks, I prefer the Boxter S over this convertible.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

not bad, though somehow i like the top more

btw, why the name change?

Gojirra99

You mean mine? I never really like it in the first place, I just made it up quickly. Just for a change I'm still not sure I really like the new one either

rominl

iTrader: (4)

awesome, coz' it took me 2 seconds thinking why we got a new sc guy posting all the news -- until i saw the sig

look at me, so good, my name has nothing to do with any cars i own