Next Generation Porsche 911 Cabriolet - In Detail

Press Release

New design includes lightweight top, more powerful engines and advanced technologies

Just months after launching the highly acclaimed new Porsche 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S Coupes, Porsche introduces the Cabriolet versions of both cars as 2005 models.

The Coupes may have been the first new 911 s to reach Porsche dealer showrooms, but the hard and soft-top versions were designed and developed in parallel from the very beginning. Right from the start, the car's structure was designed to provide the stiffness and strength necessary for outstanding dynamic performance and exceptional safety protection, regardless of the material comprising its roof.

Porsche enhances the cabriolet experience

Thus the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera S Cabriolets not only match the coupes in their top speed potential, but have safety features that provide:

• unparalleled low weight among cabriolet roof structures;
• a lower center of gravity - and thus better vehicle dynamic control - than even other sports car cabriolets;
• opening or closing of the top while the car is moving at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour (50 km/h);
• a standard wind deflector to assure as calm and quiet a passenger compartment whether the top is up or down;
• six airbags, including head-protecting airbags that emerge from the top of the doorsills, as standard equipment;
• supplemental safety bars behind each seat that automatically extend when sensors detect a potential rollover situation;
• Porsche Stability Management, a technology to help the driver maintain control in emergency situations, as standard equipment.

Just like the 911 Coupes, the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera S Cabriolets also come with more powerful engines, the latest update of the both chassis and the classic 911 silhouette and body, as well as all-new interiors and the availability of such advanced technological innovations as Porsche Active Suspension Management, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and the Porsche Sports Chrono Package Plus.

Cabriolets are just as fast as Coupes

The introduction of the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera and the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S marked the first time since 1977 that Porsche equips the 911 with a range of engines, and those same engines power the new Cabriolets. The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet is propelled by a 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine with 325 horsepower (SAE) while the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet draws on a 3.8-liter flat six that provides 355 horsepower (SAE) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newtonmeters) of torque.

With those engines and their advanced aerodynamics, including a rear spoiler that extends 0.79 inches (20 mm) more than the spoiler on the coupes, the convertibles are capable of achieving the same top speeds as the hard-topped versions - 177 miles per hour (285 km/h) for the 911 Carrera Cabriolet and 182 mph (293 km/h) for the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet.

The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet sprints from a standing start to 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) in just 5.0 seconds and continues on to reach 100 mph (160 km/h) in a mere 11.4 seconds. The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet is even faster.

S designates special Porsche models

An "S" designation has a very special meaning at Porsche, signifying a unique model, not a mere trim upgrade or option package.

The first Porsche to wear an "S" badge was the 1952 356 equipped with the 1.5-liter "Super" engine. Perhaps the most famous "S" model in the company's history was the 911 S launched in 1967, though modern Porsche enthusiasts might tell you their favorite is the Carrera 4S. In recent years, Porsche has offered higher-performance models of the Boxster® roadster and Cayenne® sport utility vehicle designated as the Boxster S and Cayenne S.

The larger and more powerful new 3.8-liter engine is only one of several features that distinguish the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, which also comes with the new Porsche Active Suspension Management technology, larger brakes with red-painted calipers, larger wheels, standard Bi-Xenon headlights, a sports steering wheel, aluminum-look interior trim and a silver-colored rear deck lid logo.

With this new powerplant, the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet can accelerate from a standing start to 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) in just 4.7 seconds. It can reach 99 mph (160 km/h) in a mere 11.0 seconds.

Lower center of gravity

Contributing to the dynamic capabilities of both the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet is a carefully designed convertible top. While fully suited for even the coldest winter weather, the new top weighs only 93 pounds (42 kilograms) - including all of its system components. This represents only half of the weight of a collapsible metal roof like those used on some premium-class convertibles.

This lighter weight top and system components also help to lower the center of gravity of the new Porsche convertibles, thus enhancing the cars' dynamic potential.

Also contributing to this new lower center of gravity is the re-engineered 2005 Porsche 911 chassis that features a lower seating position.

By designing Coupe and Cabriolet in parallel, Porsche engineers were able to place necessary structural components in the convertible right from the start. As a result, the new cabriolet body-inwhite is five percent more resistant to torsional bending and nine percent stiffer in regards to static flexing, yet weighs only 15.4 pounds (seven kilograms) more than the coupe body.

Even with the motors needed to operate its Z-folding top, the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S Cabriolets weigh only about 180 lbs. (85 kg.) more than their Coupe counterparts.

The all-weather Cabriolet

The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet optimize the driving experience whether the top is up or down, rain or shine.

In inclement weather, new water ducts above the doors prevent rainwater from dripping down. Instead, the water flows into a door-seal drain in the A pillar (next to the windshield). The top also features a glass rear window with an integrated defroster.

In top-down weather, the standard wind deflector helps to keep the cockpit calm enough for conversation between driver and passenger, even at considerable rates of speed.

Should the weather change suddenly, the top can be opened or closed, in a mere 20 seconds. It can also be opened or closed in 26 seconds while the car is moving at up to 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph). The top is designed in a "Z" configuration so that when it folds, it's outer side faces up and also helps to protect the glass window.

Designed for safety

The new Porsche Cabriolets also were designed for safe motoring.

In addition to an extra-stiff new body shell designed to provide maximized energy absorption in a collision, the cabriolets have supplemental safety bars with elements made of ultra-strong steel as well as six airbags, all as standard equipment.

The airbags include those in front of the driver and front-seat passenger, as well as side (thorax) airbags mounted in the outside front seat backs and head-protecting airbags mounted in the top of the interior door panels. Together, these airbags and front seat and shoulder belts with belt-latch tensioners and belt-force limiters form (POSIP), the Porsche Side Impact Protection system.

In addition, a new rollover sensor integrated into the airbag control unit positioned in the middle of the car deploys the supplemental safety bars and activates the seat-belt tensioners when it recognizes the dynamic forces that could lead to a rollover situation.

Porsche Stability Management provides active safety

To further enhance dynamic control, all 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolets and 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolets are equipped with the new, second-generation Porsche Stability Management (PSM®) as standard equipment. PSM is a technology designed to help the driver maintain control of the car.

Porsche Stability Management uses data from several sensors to detect a loss of grip and enhances driver control by applying braking to individual wheels and, if necessary, by reducing engine torque. For 2005, PSM benefits from new anti-lock brake sensors that take their readings not from conventional wheel pulses but from multi-pole seats fitted directly on the wheel bearings. These improved signals allow more precise processing and control. Instead of conventional shaft valves, linear solenoid valves adjust brake pressure with nearly infinite precision.

To provide pressure more quickly, a new hydraulic pump is used, while a pre-charging pump and its connections are eliminated, reducing system weight by 25 percent, or 6.6 pounds (three kg). Another enhancement to PSM for 2005 gives the enthusiast driver more control over the system. In the past, PSM could be turned off by a switch on the dashboard. And automatically reactivated when the brake pedal was depressed. For 2005 the system reactivates only when the pedal is pushed hard enough to exceed the ABS control threshold on at least one front wheel. This change allows the enthusiast driver more dynamic freedom, including slight use of the brakes in curves.

Aerodynamically efficient

Sharing most of its body components with the Coupes, the new Porsche Cabriolets have a low drag coefficient of 0.29. With special airflow engineering over, under and around the car, including the rear wing with its extra reach, the lift forces on the front and rear axles of the new Porsche Cabriolets remain consistently close to zero all the way to the car's top speed range.

Wider track

With a wider track and slimmer, more accentuated waistline, the 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet have a more powerful and athletic stance, and those characteristics are more than cosmetic changes; the car has an expanded envelope of dynamic capabilities.

While the wheelbase remains 92.5 inches (2,350 mm) and overall length and height are increased by less than two-tenths of an inch compared to the previous 911, the 2005 models ride on front and rear tracks that are nearly an inch wider than previously. Overall width is nearly 71.2 inches (1,808 mm), almost an inch and half wider than the previous generation.

Wider, lighter suspension

Front and rear, the suspension has been re-engineered to enhance ride and handling characteristics. With performance and safety in mind, Porsche engineers redeveloped the front axle sub frame, widening the structure and the axle pivot points by 1.18 inches (30 mm). To reduce weight and to improve airflow to the brakes, new hollow front axle pivot bearings replace solid components and reinforced and larger diameter wheel mounts are used. To enhance ride comfort, hydraulic suspension mounts are used, suppressing high-frequency vibration and minimizing the transmission of unwanted vibrations to the steering system.

In the rear, the axle is 1.34 inches (34 mm) wider and the multi-arm axle and its aluminum sub frame are made of more rigid components. However, the sub frame also is lighter, by approximately 2.2 pounds (one kg). Porsche engineers moved the pivot points of the upper track control arms up by 0.39 inches (10 mm) and the pivot points of the lower arms down by 0.20 inches (five mm), increasing the anti-squat effect by 25 percent, providing better support of lateral forces and assuring directional precision in turns.

A new hollow-cast aluminum wheel mount that is 10 percent lighter but also stiffer than the former solid component.

Anti-roll bar pivot points have been changed to provide more direct response, reduce body roll in turns and reduce friction, which enhances the sensitivity of new aluminum springs that are some 70 percent lighter than conventional steel springs.

Instead of steel and rubber, rear suspension mounts use internal elastic foam that reduces weight by 45 percent and improves noise and vibration control.

A new generation of tires designed to convey higher forces in both longitudinal and lateral acceleration enhance the performance of the suspension system. The 2005 Porsche convertibles wear a new generation of tires designed to convey higher forces in both longitudinal and lateral acceleration. The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet rides on 18-inch wheels that are 8 inches wide in front and 10 inches wide in the rear. The 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet has 19-inch wheels, also 8 inches wide in front but 11 inches wide at the rear.