The dust hasn't even settled on the first round of reviews of the all-new 911 range and already Porsche is planning an addition to the line-up. Revealed yesterday (November 22) the 911 Cabriolet is expected to be officially launched at the Detroit Auto Show in January before going on sale throughout Europe in early March. Like the coupé, both the Carrera and Carrera S will come fitted with Porsche's new seven-speed manual gearbox as standard with the PDK transmission available as an option.
While it looks like Porsche has remained true to 911s of old by fitting a fabric roof, the new car's top is actually a clever piece of packaging. Three separate sections of lightweight composite materials have been wrapped in fabric to give the 911 Cabriolet a lower weight with the inherent fuel savings, yet Porsche claims that the comfort levels are on a par with folding metal roofs like those offered by Mercedes-Benz. The Porsche roof is mounted on a magnesium frame and can go from cosy to open air in less than twenty seconds - and at speeds of up to 50km/h.
Folding roof aside the 911 Cabriolet has the same aluminium-steel body as the coupé so offers the same kind of weight saving over the previous generation Cabriolet that goes some way to explaining a quoted 10 litres/100km (28mpg) - even in the Carrera S. The longer wheelbase, wider front track and electro-mechanical power steering also make their way over from the tin-top model.
No word yet on four-wheel drive or turbo variants but this is Porsche after all so it will only be a matter of time.
Whether Ireland will have an official sales outlet for new Porsches in time for the arrival of the new 911 remains to be seen.