Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

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Quick Fang

MOTOR Magazine
September, 2007

One second matters. It separates fast cars from very fast. Cruising on a sunny Sunday, a second is less significant than exhaust note or suspension response.

But on the twisties up Feldberg Mountain from Kronberg in Germany, one second can’t be ignored. We know, because we caned the new 997 911 Turbo Cabriolet there until the sun went down, first shaving around half a minute, then seconds, off the 10-minute-plus budget we started with. Porsche knows this, too, because it offers a Sport Chrono Package, which sharpens the car’s character, and which acts as an on-demand, in-dash stopwatch.

In case of the 911, this one-second difference costs $94,300. That’s the ask to upgrade from a Carrera 4S Cabriolet (0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds) to the Turbo Cabriolet (0-100km/h in 4.0). Not worth it? Hop in and we’ll let this 3.6-litre 353kW drop-top widen our grins while it messes our hair.

To stress the point, our test car is equipped with the extra-cost Tiptronic, which shaves another 0.2 seconds off the 0-100km/h sprint. At 3.8 seconds, this comfy, leather-clad ragtop eclipses the awesome GT3 RS by 0.4 seconds. The more-expensive Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster – at twice the ask – is less than half-a-second quicker. The only other volume-built soft-top that comes close is the bellowing Dodge Viper (0-100 in 3.9). If you’re brave.

Not surprisingly, the Porsche is comparatively docile and easy to drive… up to a point. High speeds – above 260km/h – erode its competence. Despite the Turbo’s 0.31 drag figure, the split tail (which automatically extends, above 120km/h, at a TORQUIN’more aggressive angle than the Coupe’s), the electronic dampers and the state-of-the-art AWD system, by 300km/h the front wheels are light and fighting surface irritations that don’t give them enough response time during corners. Yep, even speed freaks will agree that 300 is about as fast as you want to go in this car.

In terms of top speed, the Turbo Cab’ beats the 290km/h C4S soft-top by only 21km/h. Talk mid-range grunt, however, and the two cars are leagues apart.

Thanks to the Sport Chrono Package’s over-boost feature, the turbocharged flat six will briefly develop an extra 60Nm – a meaty 680Nm – between 2100 and 4000rpm. This extra kick up the khyber makes the fifth-gear sting from 80 to 120km/h shrink from 3.9 to 3.6 seconds. The atmo Carrera S needs an extra 1.5 seconds. And the Turbo’s advantage increases with speed, where zero to 200km/h requires 12.6 seconds versus the Carrera 4S Cabriolet’s 16.9.

Loaded with PSM (Porsche-speak for ESP) and PTM (Porsche Traction Management), the AWD system distributes the torque between the axles through a wet multi-plate clutch to eliminate wheelspin with a momentary shift of twist towards the front axle. Torque between the wheels is modulated through braking (or an optional mechanical diff lock). Combined, the AWD supports handling by softly compensating understeer and taming oversteer before it becomes criminal.

Tipping the scales at 1655kg, the open-air Turbo weighs only 70kg more than the coupe. It’s also 10kg lighter than its predecessor, thanks mostly to aluminium doors and a composite engine cover. Officially, it’s a four-seater, but in real life, that’s wishful thinking.
Still on the debit side, the 67-litre fuel tank struggles with a real-world fuel figure of 16.0L/100km, the cheapo-looking instruments are cluttered with digital readouts, and the centre stack is crowded. But credit to the comprehensive standard equipment, the excellent fit and finish, the good visibility and the remote-controllable, power-operated roof that operates at speeds of up to 50km/h.

All in all, the Turbo’s engine is strong and torquey, but it deserves a quicker transmission and a better paddleshift arrangement. The ride is okay on smooth surfaces, but over less-than-perfect blacktop the Cabrio shrugs silently. The chassis stability is impeccable until you deactivate PSM, which releases the oversteer ghost, be it of the lift-off or the throttle-on kind.

With the roof folded, you can hear the car living and breathing: intake rasp, exhaust bellow and turbo whine. The downside is that there’s a lot of tyre thump, shoulder squeal, deceleration smack and lots of second-gear noise. There’s also brake mumble when the discs are cold, a high-pitched squeeling when hot, and some hissing and crackling after a hard run up the hill.

At $365,500 for the five-speed Tiptronic, the Turbo Cabriolet is currently the most expensive Porsche. But if the bank account can stand it, treat yourself. This 997 is a great all-rounder that makes speed incredibly accessible, even in rain and snow. It demonstrates that one second can make all the difference, crowning you as the king of the road with less effort than most supercars.

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