Intake-side camshaft management on the turbocharged engine of the Porsche 911 is combined with valve lift control also operating on the intake side. With this system appropriately bearing the name VarioCam Plus, valve lift is masterminded by two interacting, switching cup tappets operated by two cams of different size on the camshaft. This not only optimises engine power and torque, but also reduces fuel consumption and exhaust emissions whilst improving motoring refinement at the same time.
Turbo charging for maximum power
Two turbochargers switched in parallel are crucial to the supreme power and performance offered by this outstanding six-cylinder. Drawing in air through a single-unit air filter housing, the turbochargers first compress the flow of air and then guide the ongoing stream through an intercooler in each of the wheel houses behind the rear wheels, after which the air flow comes together again in front of the throttle butterfly operated electrically.
As a result the performance offered by the new top-of-the-range Cabriolet in the 911 model series is virtually identical to that of the Turbo Coup??????????????????: with its six-speed manual gearbox featured as standard the open-air Turbo accelerates in 4.3 seconds from 0 ??????????????????????????????????????? 100 km/h (Coup??????????????????: 4.2 seconds). It then reaches 160 km/h or 99 mph in 9.5 seconds (Coupe: 9.3 seconds) and rockets on to its top speed, with the roof closed, of 305 km/h or 189 mph, which is exactly as fast as the Coup??????????????????. Acceleration from 80 ??????????????????????????????????????? 120 km/h in fifth gear, in turn, comes in exactly five seconds.
Four-wheel drive and PSM for outstanding driving characteristics
Like the Coup??????????????????, the new 911 Turbo Cabriolet comes as standard with four-wheel drive: Depending on driving conditions, the front wheels running on 225/40 ZR 18 tyres convey up to 40 per cent of the engine's drive power to the road. The focus, however, is not so much on traction alone, but rather on supreme driving characteristics and safety even in an extreme situation.
Active driving safety of the highest calibre is also ensured by PSM Porsche Stability Management fitted as standard: incorporating the most sophisticated sensors, the system ???????????????????????????????????sees" whether the car is following the path determined by the driver. Should the car then swerve out of control in an extreme situation, the system applies the brakes specifically on individual wheels to restabilise and straighten out the car on the road. If even this is not sufficient, PSM will intervene in the engine management system to reduce driver power accordingly. This combination of four-wheel drive, PSM and a sporting suspension set-up guarantees active safety at the highest level.
Brakes like in motorsport ??????????????????????????????????????? and available with ceramic discs as an option
The 911 Turbo Cabriolet naturally boasts Porsche's proven brake system with monobloc fixed callipers all round: Four-piston fixed callipers interacting with cross-drilled and inner-vented brake discs ensure superior stopping power both front and rear.
As an option the new Cabriolet is available with ceramic brake discs, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) being a combination of composite ceramic discs and six-piston fixed callipers on the front wheels and four-piston callipers at the rear. PCCB sets new standards in terms of brake response, fading-free performance, low weight, and a long running life. And in conjunction with the brake lining also brand-new, the ceramic brake discs immediately ensure very high and, in particular, consistent frictional coefficient during the process of deceleration.
Stiff body with roll bars moving up automatically whenever required
The body shell of the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet is based on the body structure of the Coup??????????????????. The main differences are specific reinforcements and strengthening body elements wherever required, serving to replace the stabilising effect of the fixed roof. To increase body stiffness, the body-in-white of the Cabriolet comes with reinforced side-sills featuring body panels and elements doubled in thickness, additional junction plates and so-called shaft reinforcements behind the B-pillar.
Indeed, this is the first Porsche sports car to use ultra-strong DP600 steel at this point in the interest of maximum strength and stiffness. A further feature is that the shaft reinforcements are not only welded, but also bonded, this combination of joining technologies and the additional reinforcement provided by the bond serving to take up energy even more consistently in a collision. Benefiting from the sum total of these body modifications, the body shell of the new 911 Turbo Cabriolet is one of the stiffest open-air structures within the 911 model series, like the open-air version of the Carrera 4S recently introduced into the market.
Like on all Porsche 911 Cabriolets, two roll bars featured as standard efficiently protect the car's occupants in a rollover. Hidden discreetly behind the rear seats, the roll bars move up within split-seconds under spring pressure as soon as a sway sensor determines that the car might roll over.
Roof opening and closing even while driving
The 911 Turbo Cabriolet comes with a fully-retracting roof moving down beneath the roof compartment lid whenever opened. The entire process of opening or closing the roof is masterminded electrohydraulically within just 20 seconds. And the driver is able to operate the roof not only with the car at a standstill, but also while driving at a speed of up to 50 km/h or 31 mph. Even under these conditions, the entire process of opening the roof does not take one second longer, only the process of closing the roof requiring about six seconds more due to greater air resistance. A wind deflector and a hardtop both come as standard on the 911 Turbo Cabriolet.
