2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR
With 480 horsepower, the driver of the $196,000 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet can quickly experience a hair-raising rush.
This car is nuts – beautifully, certifiably, nuts.
I was in possession of the 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet for almost a week, and only once did I dip my toe into the pool – nay, vast ocean – of reserve performance that lurks within this white rocket sled. If ever there were a temptress that beckons you to the dark side, this be her.
Let's have a quick look at the numbers: a 3.6 L flat-six pressurized by twin turbos to deliver 480 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 505 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,100-4,000 rpm (with the optional Sports Chrono Package overboost).
Deep breath.
A five-speed Tiptronic S transmission, four-wheel drive, 0-to-100 km/h in less than four seconds, and a base price of $171,000 ($196,435 as tested, thank you).
Early one morning, on a lovely (and deserted) road winding through some open farmland south of Orillia, I put the top down, pressed the Sport button on the console (this firms up the suspension, increases throttle response and calls up those extra pound-feet), and rolled into the throttle.
The exhaust note turned to a feral howl as the revs built and the variable-vane twin turbos crammed great gobs of air into the car's six metallic lungs. The Cab launched like a weasel with its tail on fire.
In an instant the engine was sputtering against its rev limiter. A quick flick of the thumb toggle on the steering wheel served up second gear and the violence continued. Then third.
With the suspension buttoned down and steering wheel coming alive in my hands, this Porsche voraciously ate up the road as only an AWD Turbo can do – with stability, precision, tenacious grip and, thanks to the $12,000 carbon-composite brake upgrade, retardation to match the ludicrous forward thrust.
It was a hair-raising adrenalin rush that lasted all of ... oh, a minute.
Then I coasted back down to licence-preservation mode and continued on my merry way. Had any of Ontario's finest been witness to this briefest of vehicular adventures, the car would have been on the trailer and I would have been on the bus. End of story.
So where's the fun in that?
As fabulous as the Porsche Turbo Cab is, in this country it makes no sense. It's like killing a gnat with a bazooka. There are easier ways to get a tan. A base Boxster will give you three times the driving pleasure at a third of the price – and you won't be changing your underwear nearly so often.
But there is another side to this car, which in all reality, is where it will spend 99 per cent of its time. When driven sanely, the Porsche Turbo Cabriolet is an absolute pussycat. It's just as happy puttering about town as it is trying to rip the follicles from your scalp.
The turbos take the bite out of the exhaust note, and the two-stage electronic damper system (Porsche Active Suspension Management) serves up a surprisingly compliant ride (for a 911).
The adaptable Tiptronic S transmission will quickly read your mood and go into full cruise mode, delivering smooth and late upshifts. It will also return a reasonable 13 L/100 km when driven with prudence.
While the interior of this car is not particularly opulent, it is all business in its Germanic crispness and is beautifully crafted. The $1,590 adaptive sport seats in this tester were supremely comfortable and supportive, and the stitched cocoa leather ($590) covering every square millimetre of the car's cabin looked fabulous. The powerful Bose surround sound stereo is certainly impressive with the car stationary, and it also puts up a noble fight against the all the wind, tire and engine noise when things get rolling.
As in all Porsches, the driving position and relationship to the controls is spot on. You could spend your life driving this car like a Sunday boulevardier, and never know of its sociopathic alter ego. Nonetheless, the laser-guided steering and wonderfully communicative chassis are always with you, no matter which way you choose to drive.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Porsche without a healthy sprinkling from the extensive options list. I thought the $915 illuminated Turbo logos in the door sills were very cool, and the $2,500 Sport Chrono Package adds the over-boost and a nifty stopwatch atop the dash (that you'll likely never use). Figure in $4,790 for the Tiptronic transmission, $1,775 for a leather rear centre console, $12,000 for the aforementioned ceramic brakes and the bottom line soars.
The cost sheet shows a "market adjustment" (price reduction) of $3,180, which for Canadian customers covers the cost of the seat heaters ($680) and the Sport Chrono Package. Gee thanks. Never mind that this car starts at $136,500 in the U.S.
When all is said and done, Porsche will still ding you $190 for floor mats. Oh, the audacity! There's a reason why Porsche is currently the most profitable automaker, on a per car basis, in the world.
Perhaps the only fly in the Turbo's ointment is the long-in-the-tooth five-speed Tiptronic S transmission.
With this engine's massive torque spread, five gears are certainly enough, but the game has moved on. Torque converters are so five-minutes-ago. Twin-clutch mechanical systems like VW's DSG, or Ferrari's fab F1 Superfast sequential six-speed are the new benchmark. Apparently Porsche has a twin-clutch tranny in the works.
During my brief tenure with this rolling dichotomy, I struggled with the rationale behind a car whose otherworldly performance will likely take a back seat to its function as a status enhancing auto-trinket. After all, anyone serious about track work will go for the stiffer Turbo coupe with a six-speed manual.
Then the answer came to me. While cruising topless (the car, not me) through tony Oakville, I passed by at least five other lesser Porsches.
I could sense the drivers peering enviously through their Serengetis as I rumbled along in my flared and winged chariot.
It's good to be king.
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