Porsche Announces A New Open Top 911 Cabriolet Is Set To Launch

"A Porsche 911 in Cabriolet form."

Porsche Announces A New Open Top 911 Cabriolet Is Set To Launch

If 0-100 in 3.6 seconds is your preferred alternative to a long black, Porsche have news for you: this year there will be a new 911 Cabriolet.

All set for open-top season, Porsche revealed in a press release today that the 911 Cabriolet will continue the decade long convertible tradition, established when Porsche unveiled the prototype of the first 911 Cabriolet at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in September 1981.

Just as customers and fans were instantly captivated as the first open-top 911 variant rolled off the production line in 1982, it has been a constant feature in the model range ever since, and the wizards over at Stuttgart predict a similar response to their latest creation.

So: does it stack up? The model comes out in the second quarter of 2019; but will it live up to the hype? Here’s what we know so far.

“Australia. Six weeks after the Coupe’s launch, attention turns to the 911 Cabriolet. The open-top version of the iconic sports car will be launched in 2019 to almost unprecedented fanfare,” Porsche said in a press release.

“It includes all the innovative features of the Coupe, along with Cabriolet-specific advanced features such as new hydraulics, which get the roof opened and closed more quickly than ever.”

The fully-automatic soft top has an integrated glass rear window, while the soft top structure contains magnesium surface elements known as bows, which reliably prevent ballooning of the roof at high speeds. The soft top can be opened or closed at speeds up to 50 km/h. New roof hydraulics reduce opening time to around twelve seconds, while an electrically extendable wind deflector ensures that your neck is shielded from wind impact.

In other words: the new model echoes the modern lines of the Coupe, though it remains unmistakably a Porsche 911 in Cabriolet form.

The Cabriolet is initially available in both Carrera S with rear-wheel drive and Carrera 4S with all-wheel drive, both of which rely on a 2,981 cm³ charged six-cylinder boxer engine with 331 kW (450 PS) at 6,500 rpm and 530 Nm torque between 2,300 and 5,000 rpm.

Also noteworthy is that the drive efficiency has been increased and emissions reduced by way of an improved injection process. This power is delivered by a newly developed eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, enabling The Carrera S to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds (with optional Sport Chrono Package: 3.7 seconds) and reach speeds of up to 306 km/h.

For customers with a serious need for speed: The Carrera 4S goes from 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds (with optional Sport Chrono Package: 3.6 seconds) and a top speed of 304km/h.

In terms of chassis, the new engine mounting position makes the Cabriolet even more torsionally rigid than its predecessor. Oh and the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sport chassis is now available for the 911 Cabriolet, providing those who opt for it with a more neutral feel on the road, thanks to the harder and shorter springs, the rigid front and rear anti-roll-bars, and the lowering of the chassis by ten millimetres.

The new open top 911 Cabriolet’s exterior design draws on earlier generations of the 911 and, according to a Porsche press release, “Looks wider, more self-assured and altogether more muscular than its predecessor.”

“Wider wings arch over the large 20-inch wheels at the front and 21-inch wheels at the rear,” the release continues, while, “The rear-wheel-drive models now match the bodywork width of the existing all-wheel models.”

Oh and they’ve also taken the opportunity to evoke a little history, what with the rear axle being 44 mm larger and the front end – generally 45 mm wider – reviving a traditional feature from earlier 911 generations: a forward-extended bonnet with a distinctive recess in front of the windscreen.

“Both elements lengthen the front of the vehicle and give it a dynamic look.”

The rear (of all models) is dominated by the significantly wider, variable-position spoiler and the continuous, seamless and elegant light bar. Also: with the exception of the front and rear sections, the entire outer skin is now made from aluminium.

The interior is similarly distinctive, with clear, straight lines and recessed instruments defining the dashboard. Next to the centrally positioned rev counter, two thin, frameless freeform displays deliver information to the driver, and—as in the original 911—the new dashboard covers the entire width between two horizontal wing levels.

The 911 Carrera S Cabriolet starts from $286,500 and the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet from $302,600, excluding on-road costs. The new models can be ordered now and will arrive in Australia from the second quarter of 2019.

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