The Porsche 911 Carrera 4S PDK Cabriolet. A chunky name for a chunkily priced car; before options, it will set you back £102,072. That’s about as much as the 911 GT3 cost new a couple of years ago.
Its 3-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine has 414bhp and 369lb ft, enough for a quoted 187mph top speed and 4.2-second 0-62mph time. The latter drops to four seconds dead if you remember to select Sport Plus on the steering wheel’s rotary knob, but given that’s a bit gimmicky, you probably won’t.
This is a 911 Carrera in its newly turbocharged era. And dropping the roof exacerbates the loss of aura from its flat-six engine; it exaggerates the turbo whistle that dominates the soundtrack if you aren’t hunting every last rev.
There’s plenty of noise from this engine, but it won’t give you goosebumps. The old 911 Carrera’s sprint finish to the redline certainly did.
The steering has the same beautiful weight and response as the rest of the facelifted 991-gen 911 range, while the 4WD system provides simply unflappable traction in the dry. If you want fuss-free speed, then short of stumping up for a 911 Turbo, this is where you’ll find it.
Article written by Tom Harrison