The cougar – the female variety, not the Merc’ – in the late-model Porsche Boxster slowed as she drove past. As our eyes caught, my heart fluttered a little and I grinned in her direction. But she didn’t see me. No, she saw the Cab – the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.
The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera is a direct descendant of the shape that made the brand famous upon its introduction at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963. Still able to turn heads forty years later, as seen by the aforementioned platinum blonde in West Palm Beach, could this be one of the most impressive two-seat sports cars ever made?
Earlier this year, we sampled the more performance-oriented Carrera S hardtop; this time, we’re in the slightly less potent, open-top standard Carrera swallowed up by the wind-(and bugs)-in-the-face crowd.
What is it?
The Carrera Cabriolet has the DNA that made the good Dr. Porsche famous. It is a continuation of the 911-style body that’s gone topless, even if in the process, it gained a little weight due to reinforcements. Still every bit the Holy Grail of sports cars, it still commands respect from any warm-blooded enthusiast.
This go-around, it features a new boxer engine with direct injection. Then to help put the power to the road, a new Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch transmission is called in to do the job. Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. Being able to pronounce that might impress a cougar.
What’s it up against?
Direct competitors are nonexistent. There are simply no rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive coupes or roadsters currently in production to match it or even come close. Going strictly from a pricing standpoint, you could add the Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette, Jaguar XK and Nissan GT-R. But in this rare-air group, you run the way of many apples to oranges comparisons on cylinders, powertrains, performance and so on, so a direct comparison is tough to make.
Any breakthroughs?
The second generation Porsche 997, as it is known internally in Stuttgart, gained the aforementioned new direct-injection 3.6-liter boxer six last fall when it was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.
The dual-clutch PDK, with its seven speeds, is new to this model, even if the double clutch concept is hardly revolutionary any more. A standard automatic transmission is no longer available on the Carrera.
How does it look?
Looking like an evolutionary descendant of the original 1964 model year 901, the Carrera Cabriolet is pure Porsche through and through. But put them side-by-side and it becomes clear the new 997 second generation is a much bigger and beefier car. Wider, longer, taller and with broader shoulders than its progenitor, it is clearly more of the best of everything Porsches are designed to deliver.
When the first 997 was introduced in late 2004, it was hailed as, at least stylistically, a return to the norm for Porsche; the same is absolutely true with the mildly restyled second generation.
Visual clues to the newer generation include the return of the “google-eyes” to the front fenders and a larger air scoop under bumper to suck in the fresh air and route it to the radiator for engine cooling.
The cabriolet top is covered in traditional cloth instead of the hardtop style that is all the rage in everything from the new BMW Z4 to the Infiniti G37 . It is well insulated to deaden sound from the outside when in the closed position, making for easy conversations with your passenger. Driving during a torrential South Florida rainstorm, we would have hardly been aware of rain hitting the convertible top were it not for the windshield wipers doing their thing. If top-down driving gets to buffet-y the enclosed baffle quiets things down a bit.
And on the inside?
Inside carries on the traditional look of Porsche cars starting, literally, with the left-side ignition location (developed so that racing drivers using the now-outlawed LeMans-style start of running across the track to their car could be cranking the car’s ignition before they were even buckled into their seat). The gauge cluster carries the five most important dials right in front of the driver, while the navigation and audio controls are operated through the monitor located atop the center stack.
Heated and ventilated seats keep things warm or cold depending on your locale, while the bolsters built into the bucket’s sides keep you and your passenger from sliding laterally while hitting the twisties.
The fact that there appears to be two seats behind the driver and passenger are only representative of seats you may actually be able to sit in. Merely a suggestion, they are more at home as a storage shelf to place your latest acquisition from the local boutique.
But does it go?
With a direct injection 3.6-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine putting out 345-horsepower and 288 lb-ft. of torque, it sure had better. As it stands, tipping the scales at 3373 lbs., the Cabriolet, does manage to get up and go. Porsche claims a top speed of 180 miles per hour with the top up; we managed 140-mph on the back straight of Leftlane’s official test facility, the road course at Palm Beach International Raceway. Porsche’s new PDK seven-speed transmission easily outshifted the outgoing Tiptronic from the previous model, for quicker acceleration out of turns, following downshifts when entering the turn. While we weren’t gauged up to monitor the situation, Porsche claims the new tranny is good for a half-second gain over the outgoing Tip model.
Essentially, the PDK is a set with two individual clutch packs. While one controls the upshift to the next gear, the other pack is disengaging the previous gear, for a near seamless transition. It is a relief to be able to keep both mitts on the steering wheel, even pretending to do your best Lewis Hamilton impersonation (as if L.H. drove for Porsche). It all works toward the goal of faster shifts while using less fuel. As a result, the Porsche manages to squeak by without having to deal with the federal Gas-Guzzler surcharge tax.
Handling was one of the Cab’s strong points. Through the use of Porsche Stability Management, ABS, and Active Brake Differential , not to mention the Mac-struts up front and a multi-link setup in back, the Cab showed decent manners on the road course in a variety of ways.
From the pair of tracks we laid in the pits to the rapid, popping and neck-snapping gear shifts, the Cabriolet continuously gave us the confidence to push it harder into turns. Off throttle in the middle of curves, however, it’s a punisher that can and will break loose.
The Cabriolet came standard with 13-inch vented brake rotors with four pots on each of the calipers. They managed to rein everything in at the appropriate time, but through pre-charging, were able to do things much quicker without any surprise or “oh crap” moment.
This writer did manage a surprise moment when the palm of my left hand made contact with the steering wheel-mounted shift-nub masquerading as a paddle shift lever. It is clearly too smooth and low profile to remain as it does on the steering wheel. I found myself bogged down in too high a gear to properly exit the turn. Perhaps the paddle placement seen in a number of other cars – even the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class – should be studied by Porsche’s engineers. At least the current nubs are better than the early toggle switches we saw on mid-90s 911s!
Why you would buy it
Because you have bought into their tagline (even uttered by Tom Cruise in Risky Business), “Porsche. There is no substitute.”
Why you wouldn’t
Madoff ran off with your $100,000.
Leftlane’s bottom line:
The 911 Carrera Cabriolet is a true Porsche, from top to bottom. With amazing acceleration, and incredibly grippy brakes, it is the ultimate package for a Porschephile who also happens to be a sun worshipper. Not a car for first-time enthusiasts afraid of its unique handling characteristics, it nonetheless begs to be driven and enjoyed any day of the year.
2009 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet base price, $86,200. As tested, $102,810.
Arctic Silver paint, $710; Comfort seats, $1,560; PDK transmission, $4,080; Auto-dimming mirrors, $420; Heated seats, $500; Heated steering wheel, $190; Painted wheel caps, $185; Ventilated seats, $800; Dynamic cornering lights, $690; Bluetooth, $695; Sport Chrono package, $950; Navigation, $2,110; Bose audio, $1,440, XM Radio, $750; Floor mats, $140; Universal audio connector, $440; Destination, $950.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
