Manufacturer Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet in the driving report
July 8th, 2012
M so experience the first with your 30th birthday Midlife crisis, others really take off - like the Porsche 911 Cabriolet. In 1982 the first fresh-air 911, called the 911 SC Cabriolet, was caught in a thunderstorm of flashlights at the Geneva Motor Show. Highlights: 204 air-cooled boxer horsepower and a manually operated fabric hood with a plastic rear window that could be opened with a zip. From March 2012, the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of the 991 series also wants to see his way into the hearts of fans.
'The proportion of convertibles in the 911 is around 40 percent,' says August Achleitner, head of the Porsche 911 series. To ensure that this does not change with the latest 911, convertible enthusiasts have to internalize the tongue twister “flat bow hood”. In contrast to the 911 models of yore, there is no longer a rudimentary fabric cap hidden behind the hood.
Unchanged 911 silhouette for the convertible
It's all in the mix: The 991 soft top is a mix of fabric soft top, folding roof and hard top. Thanks to a completely new development, the current Porsche 911 Carrera was able to transfer the coupé line almost exactly to the roof of the convertible for the first time. The drag coefficient of 0.30 with the convertible top closed is only minimally behind the coupé value of 0.29.
The surface bow roof identifies a fixed roof surface, which consists of four individual, adjoining elements. The front roof frame as well as the two central surface bows and the rear window frame are made of magnesium. Further aluminum parts complement the light mixed construction. In addition, all frame components are kinematically coupled, which is why only one hydraulic cylinder per side is required for actuation.
Click, pull the switch on the center console - and the roof structure weighing 36 kilos (997: 42 kilos) folds in 13 seconds (997: 20 seconds) in a compact Z-shape into the convertible top compartment of the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolets. The folding art according to origami style succeeds up to 50 km /h.
Experience typical Porsche sound unadulterated
Ignition on Turn the key: With a hoarse rattle, the 3.8-liter engine of the Carrera S Cabriolet goes into the watch-out position synchronously with the hairs on the neck. The more engine speed, the more rumbling the thunderstorm of sound over the rear of the 911. A subtle whisper quickly turns into typical Porsche sawing. It pulls in a flashCarpet of sound like a tornado in the open interior. An emotional symphony that makes it difficult to approach the very optimistic average fuel consumption of 8.9 liters per 100 kilometers that Porsche claims with low revs.
The spontaneous response of the 400 hp vacuum cleaner known from the Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupé, the greed for speed and lots of serpentines quickly make the name of the paint color 'Racing Yellow' a part of the program. With precise, electromechanical power steering, a firm, but not rock-hard PASM chassis and the optional Sport Chrono Package, the Cabriolet follows the dynamic traces of the Coupé. The 70 kilo heavier convertible will probably not achieve the outstanding records of the closed 911 in terms of both transverse and longitudinal dynamics.
Porsche 911 Cabrio in 4.3 seconds to 100
With activated Sport Plus mode and PDK Launch Control start, the Porsche 911 sprint should emerge from the It will be possible to stand at 100 km /h in 4.3 seconds (Carrera S Coupé: 4.1 s). The Vmax low flight also ends two km /h earlier at a speed of 299. Stormy times for the hairstyles in the cockpit? Only at increasing speed without a wind deflector. One push of a button and there is amazing calm even up to 200 km /h. In contrast to its predecessors, the wind deflector does not require a wobbly construction before driving, but is fully integrated into the rear with a clamp. At the push of a button, the wind deflector swings open electrically in two seconds.
In contrast to the Swabian competition, Porsche does without more typical convertible comfort details: 'A neck blow dryer was never an option for us,' says Series Head Achleitner. In addition to the boxer concert in the open air, there is another reason to rarely drive closed. In contrast to the coupé, the view of the convertible is significantly restricted to the rear due to the smaller rear window and the more delicate side windows. However, there is no need to fear parking scratches when the hood is closed. The rear parking assistant is part of the standard equipment.
Convertible version costs just under 12,500 euros extra
Whether customers have the Carrera Pick up the S Cabriolet with the top open or with the top closed, one thing remains the same today, as was the case with the Porsche 911 convertible ancestor from 1982 mentioned at the beginning: the fascination of fresh air costs extra. A surcharge of 12,495 euros is due for the convertible compared to the 991 Carrera S Coupé with PDK.
