2008 Porsche 911 Turbo

911 Turbo Lifts its Roof

The Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet carries on a twenty year Porsche tradition of offering a soft-top version of its flagship sportscar. Firstly, the 911 Turbo Cabriolet offers the driving performance of a high-powered sports car whilst still providing open-roofed driving pleasure. Secondly, compared to its competition, the open 2+2 seater offers economical fuel consumption, thanks to its lightweight design, outstanding aerodynamics and advanced engine technology.

Like the 911 Turbo Coupe, the Cabriolet is powered by a 3.6-liter six-cylinder ‘boxer' engine with twin turbochargers and Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG). The powerplant generates 480 bhp and 460 lb-ft of torque at 1950 rpm. With the optional 'Sport Chrono Turbo Package', which includes an overboost function, up to 500 lb-ft is available under acceleration. The manual transmission version can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. With the Tiptronic S transmission this time falls to 3.6 seconds. Both versions can reach speeds of up to 193 mph. Fuel consumption for the 911 Turbo Cabriolet is 21.9 miles per gallon (12.9 liters per 100 kilometers) – an exemplary value for this competitive vehicle segment.

The open version of the 911 Turbo only weighs 150 lbs more than the Coupe, the difference accounted for by the reinforcement of the convertible body and automatic extendable rollover protection behind the rear seats. The light, three-layer soft-top, which can be completely automatically opened or closed in 20 seconds, also contributes to a low center of gravity.

Together with the chassis tuned to convertible-specific needs, which includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard equipment, the new 911 Turbo Cabriolet offers the sporting driving performance typical for a Porsche 911, as well as extremely high driving safety combined with appealing driving characteristics. Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and the managed all-wheel drive Porsche Traction Management (PTM) also contribute to its unparalleled performance. The PTM system, with an electronically-controlled multi-plate clutch, can alternately shift the drive output from the engine between the front and rear axles according to grip levels. The clutch can perform shift intervals in under 100 milliseconds – quicker than the reaction of the engine to load changes.

With a drag coefficient of just 0.31Cd, the 911 Turbo Cabriolet cuts through the air with the ease of the coupe models. Together with the rear spoiler, which automatically extends at speeds from 75 mph – extending 30 mm further than with the Coupe - the vehicle is the only standard series convertible that generates negative lift at the rear axle. Along with its passive safety systems, including six airbags as standard equipment and the comprehensive rollover protection system – with steel tubing integrated into the windscreen frame and extendable rollover bars behind the rear seats – the 911 Turbo Cabriolet also fulfils all legal requirements for passive safety applicable in the worldwide sales markets. Furthermore, it is equipped with one of the most high-performance brake systems available. The six-cylinder fixed-brake calipers up front stem from the Porsche Carrera GT. The race-proven and lightweight Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system is also available for the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, as an option.

Included in the extensive standard equipment of the 911 Turbo Cabriolet are Bi-Xenon headlights, 19 inch forged wheels, air conditioning, a wind deflector, a top tinted windscreen, the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) – with the satellite navigation module and color monitor, the Bose Surround Sound System and a leather interior.

The price for the 911 Turbo Cabriolet in the ÚK is £106,180, including a Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), a sophisticated vehicle security package approved to Thatcham Category 5 standard, and a Porsche Driving Experience program. The car will be on sale in the ÚK and Ireland from September 8th 2007. The prices and availability on the North American market will be available soon.

Source - Porsche

The 997 Porsche is the sixth generation of the 911 series. The Turbo Cabriolet was announced by Porsche in May 2007 and was available for purchase in September of that year. With its debut it became one of the fastest sports convertibles in production, capable of 0-62 mph acceleration in 3.2 seconds with the Tiptronic S transmission, as tested by Motor Trend Magazine. The engine is based on the rugged and reliable 964/GT1 design rated at 470HP and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, having twin turbo chargers fitted with a two-stage resonance intake system. The 997 features a revised front bumper with LED turn signals in the front air intakes and fog lamps moved to the corners. The optional Sport Chrono package allows the 997 Turbo to overboost for ten seconds, increasing peak torque over a narrow RPM range.

This particular 997 Porsche is finished in Midnight Blue Metallic with a Sand Beige full supple leather interior.