Shout the word sportscar and someone’s bound to cry out 911 in response. The Porsche 911 has long been the definitive example of the sportscar, the benchmark other manufacturers aim for. The real beauty of the Porsche 911, especially at this time of year? It’s available in convertible flavour, for people who prefer open-sky motoring.

A Cabriolet unlike any other

The very first open-top 911 rolled off the production line back in 1982. It became an overnight success, with the convertible outselling the coupe on many occasions. The new 911 Cabriolet brings a variety of new features to the table, building upon the great platform that underpins the standard 911 Coupe. It offers all of the advantages associated with buying a convertible with none of the drawbacks you get with a fixed-roof coupe. This just might be the most versatile sportscar on the planet, brought even closer to perfection than ever before.

The lowdown on significant updates

The fully-automatic soft top gets an integrated glass rear window, as well as a structure that now contains magnesium surface elements (also known as bows), preventing ballooning and flexing of the roof at high speeds. The roof hydraulics are new too, reducing opening and closing times to just 12 seconds. There’s an electronically extendable wind deflector to protect the occupants from unwanted wind impact around the head area, and the soft top can be opened and closed at speed of up to 50 km/h.

The same 911 we know and love

The main concern people have with convertibles is weight. The 911 Cabriolet, however, is just 70 kilograms heavier than the Coupe. Unless you’re chasing lap times around a race track, you may not even notice the added weight. The chassis is so rigid and stiff there is no genuine difference between the Coupe and the Cabriolet on the street.

The Carrera S, the first Cabriolet model to hit the market, has a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.9 seconds. That’s just 0.2 seconds slower than the coupe. The optional Sport Chrono package drops that acceleration figure by 0.2 seconds, just like it does in the Coupe. The revised flat-six in the back develops 443 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, sending power to the rear wheels through the brilliant eight-speed dual-clutch PDK auto.

A complete package

The Cabriolet is, in essence, identical to the Coupe apart from the obvious major difference. It gets the same 21-inch wheels in the back and 20-inch wheels in the front, the same wide-body aluminum skin, and the same piano-black cabin. It is, for all intents and purposes, the most accomplished sportscar ever made, with one extra feature. A feature which grants you access to millions of kilometres of open sky at the push of a button, in less than 13 seconds.

 

Date Posted: May 13, 2019