Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet 2007 Review - International

What we liked
>> Enormous breadth of performance
>> Handling that flatters the driver
>> Fuss-free open driving to 200km/h

Not so much
>> Underwhelming interior design
>> Removable wind-stop fiddly to fit
>> No spare wheel

You're in Stuttgart, not due in Frankfurt 'just' 205km to the north for another 12 hours and the keys to a brand-new four-wheel drive, Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet coupe are in your hands. Where do you go?

Hands up all those who shouted the Nürburgring! Go to the head of the class, because even if it remains a dream, Porsche built this vehicle for you.

For me, Cabriolet is a serious misnomer for this amazing car. Let me nail this straight to the mast: despite its street cred and the home-away-from-home comforts like its push-button, fully-lined folding roof, this is one of the world's greatest sportscars in the true sense of the term.

To dismiss the Turbo Cab as a decapitated Turbo Coupe is to completely miss the mark. It's the car's ability to translate a virtually undiluted version of its tin-top sibling's feel and charisma into a taut, responsive and engaging open chassis that sets it apart.

The miracle of the latest drop-top incarnation of Porsche's seemingly never-ending 997-series is that it works wonderfully in both worlds.

For the boulevardier, or serial city commuter, it makes perfect sense. Much easier to ingress and egress than more extreme open Spyder designs of Ferrari's 430 and Lamborghini's Gallardo S, the 911 Turbo Cabriolet is arguably the world's easiest supercar to drive, particularly if you tick the box for the optional five-speed Tiptronic S transmission.

However, even in six-speed manual guise, it's no more challenging to take shopping (but a lot more fun) than a Toyota Corolla, if you discount the care you must take to avoid scraping its superb 19-inch Fuchs forged rims on gutters, or snotting its deceptively long nose on high kerbs.

Even with the optional shell-backed full leather sports seats fitted to our test car, you would need to be seriously arthritic to make hard work of slipping behind its wheel. Once there, electric memory seats and a two-way adjustable steering column will accommodate most people very comfortably, if not luxuriously.

Once inside it's best to turn the ignition key quickly, as the interior ambiance is somewhat underwhelming. Economies of scale dictate a certain sameness about all current Porsche interiors and really only the small boost gauge gives away that you're sitting in one of the greatest road-going Porsches rather than one of its more humble cousins. That said, apart from the series of fiddly micro-buttons on the centre console associated with the Porsche Communication and navigation system, everything is pretty much where it needs to be and is easily accessible.

Cruising in this Cab is so easy; it makes anyone look like a successful pimp. The light and progressive clutch engages smoothly and progressively and you can 'walk' the car along in first or second gear at just above idle speed without any transmission snatch or hysterics.

Just as well, as we crawled and fumed through a one-hour Autobahn jam just out of Stuttgart at less than 100th of its performance capability. But when the traffic cleared, we could surge away at virtually any revs and in any gear, calling on the 3.6-litre boxer six engine's massive and broad torque band -- which peaks at 620Nm at an impressively low 1950rpm.

Third gear copes with virtually all urban traffic demands above crawling speed if you feel lazy, but the light and supple gearchange is no chore.

Drop the roof at the touch of a single button at speeds up to 50km/h and the three-layer soft top disappears from sight in just 20 seconds. Fit the separate wind deflector, (fiddly, but at least it folds away into a special wallet in the front-mounted luggage area) and you can enjoy unruffled travel at up to twice Australian speed limits before road roar makes conversation difficult.

Some boulevardiers may be disappointed that Porsche has not donned a full metal folding helmet like the Mercedes-Benz SL but there's good reason. Apart from the problem of packaging the roof between the rear-mounted engine and the Cabriolet's very occasional rear seats (children over 10 need not apply) the fabric roof keeps the Porsche's centre of gravity low for optimum handling, while when folded it does not alter the car's balance by transferring a (further) significant mass to the rear.

Going fabric has also helped Porsche keep the Turbo Cabrio's weight within 70kg of the mechanically-identical Turbo coupe, despite additional reinforcement and the incorporation of a rollover protection system to supplement the strengthened windscreen frame and six airbags.

Equally impressive is that Porsche claims that the folding roof has no effect on the aerodynamic CD of 0.31 achieved by the coupe, claiming an identical 310km/h top speed for both vehicles.

HEADING NORTH
Leaving the satellite towns of Stuttgart behind, we punched the town of Adenau into the satnav section of Porsche's centre-console Communication Management System, as surprisingly, it would not recognise the prominent ruins of the Nurburg castle that still towers over the Nürburgring. Was this an omen or a concession to the boulevardiers?

Then, guided by the bright 5.8-inch colour monitor, we dropped our top and put our foot down.

Driving on the German Autobahn network is a revelation for any Australian driver, but it's only in a car like this Porsche that you can really explore the system's full potential. In most section of Autobahnen there are three lanes in each direction, although on a few older sections and during the constant roadworks that you encounter, the width drops to two or sometimes just one lane.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not all limit-free either. Mounting pressure from the Greens and other lobby groups, plus increased traffic flows and never-ending roadworks have limited the free zone, with a number of sections limited to 130km/h, 120km/h, or even a walking-pace 100km/h! Still, there are many places where, traffic, weather and car permitting, you can make excellent time.

To do this you need to be in the fast lane, as overtaking on the right in Germany (as opposed to left in Australia) is a social crime only slightly less heinous than for an infidel to take the name of Mohammed in vain in Mecca. And to get to the fast lane quickly from the long on-ramp, you need to plan your moves through the legions of trucks and on this holiday weekend, caravans…

Or have a Porsche beneath your boot. With 353kW of power available from the twin-turbocharged boxer engine merging is never a problem -- especially if you hit the button to engage the optional 'Sport Chrono' package and utilise its temporary overboost function.

You think, rather than accelerate this car -- virtually transplanting yourself where you want to be in the time it takes to make the decision. Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 4.0sec dead with the six-speed manual and an even-quicker 3.8sec with the Tiptronic S transmission. The only small downside here is that the car isn't as aurally exciting as it goes.

Cruising at 160-180km/h very quickly becomes natural, socially acceptable and comfortable -- even with the roof down -- and it's only when you need to shake off the odd Audi diesel station wagon travelling at a steady 200km/h and prod the accelerator harder do you wish you had put the roof up. Still, we saw 220km/h a number of times and 240km/h once, despite persistent traffic, with the speed achieved in small breaks in the flow where the Autobahn was predominantly clear for some kilometres ahead.

PLAYING LORD OF THE RING
Arriving in the Eiffel Mountains, it was easy to find the world's most charismatic motor racing circuit. Sporting cars and motorbikes of every type were either coming from, or heading to, the famous north circuit. Arriving at the entrance we were confronted by a hoard of vehicles, from full racing saloons and GT cars, to standard and modified road cars, all there for one express purpose.

Like Autobahn travel, access to high-speed thrills on the Nürburgring is amazingly accessible. You simply pay 19 Euro ($30) at a ticket box, poke your card in the boom gate slot and off you go for a single lap of the 22.81km circuit. No helmet, no licence and no other formalities!

Ahead of you lies one of the most intriguing pieces of bitumen on the planet. The late Stefan Bellof officially holds the lap record during qualifying for the 1983 1000km race at 6.11.13 in a Porsche 956 sportscar, but BMW Sauber F1's Nick Heidfeld was unofficially timed at under 6 minutes during a BMW publicity day in April this year.

It's a daunting place to drive fast, particularly as our entrance had been delayed while the remains of a BMW Z4 coupe were scaped off the circuit. But at least it have us a chance to experience the sportscar hidden behind Porsche's Cabriolet nomenclature.

Many road cars feel like mashed potatoes on a racing circuit, but the hallmark of a great sportscar is one that still feels like crisp pomme frites in this environment. From the outset the 911 Turbo Cabriolet felt at home, its chassis taut and its steering tactile and communicative.

The term 'scuttle shake' does not apply to this car, even on the cruel corrugations of the famous Carousel banked corner, which made it difficult to focus, yet the 911 was barely stirred, let alone shaken, from its course.

Unlike Porsche's first series production 4WD cabriolet models, which had a tendency to understeer on the limit, the latest Turbo Cabriolet inherits the same Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as its coupe sibling, which means that it has been set up for a sporting drive with a rear bias on slow corners and a safe front bias as speed rises.

Helping the drive further is Porsche Traction Management (PTM) with its electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, which shares the drive output between the front and rear axles, with up to 100 per cent going either way, depending on conditions and grip level.

Add one of the most ferocious braking systems to appear on any production car, with six-piston and dinner-plate size front calipers from the Carrera GT and four-piston rear brakes and you have an arsenal of survival tools.

The bi-plane rear spoiler that rises automatically at 120km/h and protrudes further than the similar item on the coupe certainly aids stability. Porsche claims that the Cabriolet is the only vehicle in its class that generates negative aerodynamic lift at the rear axle.

This was all very welcome on the Nordschleife, because every corner can potentially bite you hard. Getting to the end of our lap was almost a relief, like the bucket of icy water that follows a particularly steamy sauna. Tick that box and thank you Porsche.

A GREEN SUPERCAR?
'Crawling' back to Frankfurt airport at a last 180-200km/h before striking traffic again, we became conscious of the smiles of other drivers, who graciously made way for us when lane changing and seemed to genuinely revel in being in the company of such a great car.

Perhaps they can see through this Cabriolet to find the real sportscar beneath better than some of the prospective buyers. Or perhaps they appreciated that we were at the wheel of a remarkably 'green' supercar that averaged a very environmentally soothing 13.6lt/100km during our 12 hours of stewardship and 565km, including playing Lord of the Ring.

The 911 Turbo Cabriolet will retail in Australia from $357,500 for the six-speed manual and $365,500 for the Tiptronic S model when it arrives and goes on sale in September this year.

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