2005 Porsche 911 Review

Specifications

A Really Quick Tan

Winter is officially here, and with it comes cold mornings, slippery roads and dark skies filled with snowflakes, at least where I live in Toronto. Its not exactly the best time of year to be thinking about open-topped cars, but Porsche seems to think otherwise, preparing for warmer times with the introduction of next summers most-wanted convertible, the new 911 (997-type) Cabriolet.

The new droptop is the latest addition to Porsches model offence for 2005, coming just a few short months after the introduction of the all new Boxster and the announcement of the new 911 Coupe. Like the fixed-top variant, the Cabrio will be available in one of two models starting with the standard Carrera, featuring a 3.6L 325-horsepower horizontally-opposed six cylinder, or the S model which gets a bigger 3.8L engine that produces 355 horsepower.

To deliver the same refinement and capabilities as the Coupe, Porsche has strengthened the Cabriolets chassis, improving its structural rigidity. Extra reinforcements were made throughout the body to combat chassis flex, and to keep the car stable in the event of a collision.

Standard on the Carrera S and optional on the Carrera is Porsches new Active Suspension Management system (PASM), featuring dampers which adapt to the conditions of the road, furthering the cars driving potential.

The soft-top roof mechanism used in the 997 is much like the one featured in the 996. The lightweight cloth roof folds in a Z-pattern, taking a mere 20 seconds to lower or rise, and can be actuated at the touch of a button in the car, or remotely via the cars key fob.

The Cabrios roof will be one of only a handful that can be opened and closed at speeds of up to 31 mph when it becomes available, the list soon to include the upcoming Boxster as well, allowing the driver to quickly shelter the interior and passengers from unexpectedly inclement weather. To save cost, the glass rear screen was carried over directly from the 996.

Compared to other convertibles, the sacrifices in performance made in the conversion to soft top are few and far between. Both Cabrios feature a wind-cheating coefficient of drag rating of 0.29, which allows them to achieve the same top speed as their Coupe counterparts (177 mph for the base and 182 mph for the S).

The extra 187 pounds of roof mechanisms and reinforcements add a mere 0.2 seconds to both cars 0 to 60 mph acceleration times. The 3.6L Cab with manual gearbox can reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, while the S completes the sprint even quicker, in just 4.8 seconds.

The Cabriolet features the same smartly-styled and intuitively laid-out interior as the Coupe, and is likewise loaded to the brim with luxury goodies. Standard are Porsches PCM (Porsche Communication Management), which includes a bright, wide-screen TFT display for navigation, and Sound Package Plus, with a CD player and nine premium loudspeakers. Larger wheels, a removable wind deflector and PSM stability control are also standard, while ceramic brakes and a chronograph-style stopwatch are new options.

Interestingly, the new 911 Cabrios will go on sale in North America come March 2005, a few weeks ahead of the cars European debut in April, and perfect timing for the summer rush.

Prices have been set at $79,100 for the Carrera Cabriolet and $88,900 for the Carrera S Cabriolet - roughly $10,000 more respectively than their hardtop versions.

While asking prices may seem high, to Porschephiles they are justified. The new 911 Cabriolet continues Porsches tradition of building convertibles that not only meet, but surpass their rivals in style and performance.