Tuesday 4th March 2008

Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet

The 997 Turbo is a brilliant all weather machine. But has Porsche ruined it by chopping off the roof, asks Tim Oldland...

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This car should be white. With an Ostrich leather interior, and 22” chrome spinner wheels. It’s the epitome of style over substance.  Take one of the most accomplished supercars of the century, lop off its roof and give it an automatic gearbox – sacrilege some would say.

I was determined not to think like this though, as I took out this Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet Tiptronic (try saying that with a mouthful of Mini Eggs). I’ve previously driven the 997 Turbo from supercar club ecurie25, and have done many miles in it, coming away impressed by its staggering point-to-point pace. I also love the looks of it, especially in black – menacing and purposeful.

So when I went to ecurie25 to pick up the Cabriolet, I was worried to say the least, having seen the shots of it in magazines. Now to me the 997 Cabriolet isn’t the prettiest of cars, with a back end which could draw many comparisons with a rather large-bottomed woman, but I was hoping the Turbo treatment would give it a little more balance. Unfortunately not. As I rounded the corner I saw it sitting there with the roof down, rear end pointing at me, and even with the rear spoiler and fatter arches it just looked horribly disproportioned. The view from the front with the roof down is altogether more glamorous though, with the 997 Turbo’s dashes of bling taking on an even more glitzy demeanour without a roof. The wheels, front lights, the odd indicator/driving lights, all combine (especially with this car’s silver paintwork) to make this a very showy car. It looks like it would be more at home cruising down Sunset Boulevard, not going flat out down the straight at the Nordschleife.

Inside it’s typical 997 - lots of leather, and lots and lots of buttons. For a £110,000 car, I’m again appalled that the sat nav/stereo controls are so badly overcrowded and overcomplicated.I really hope that the facelift coming soon will also address the interior issues and give it a proper touch screen interface.

It was a bright and sunny day when I pulled out

onto London’s streets, if a little cold, so I left the roof down and cranked up the heater and heated seats. I’m a firm believer that if you own a convertible you should use it as such, so it’s good to see one with such good warming capabilities. Luckily as the streets around our capital are 80% pothole this allowed me to investigate one of my main worries about a cabriolet - namely its structural rigidity - to full effect. Dropping into said potholes you notice some body flex and the accompanying rattles and squeaks just aren’t good in a car costing this much.

Once free of the M25 boundary and onto some proper roads there was the opportunity to use the Turbo’s considerable performance to full effect. Well, I would’ve done if it hadn’t been for the ridiculous gearbox. I know some people like Porsche’s Tiptronic gearbox, but I r

eally can’t see why. Compared to the likes of Merc’s Auto, and the new paddle-shifters like Ferrari’s F1, Lambo’s E-Gear and Audi’s R8 R-Tronic, it really is very old fashioned. Cruising along in 5^th on the motorway I wanted to overtake, by just squashing the carpet and surging forward on a wave of torque, just like in the manual. But this isn’t possible as it kicks down to 3^rd every time, shoving you into your seat as it shoots forward. I know some will say that I should put it in manual mode, but I tried that and it still kicked down. Even when in sport mode the shifts still weren’t as quick as I’d have liked, either. Having done serious miles in cars using the gearboxes mentioned above, it really does fall short in my eyes.

But to mark this car down because of the gearbox would be foolish, as you really shouldn’t treat it as a sports car like you would the coupe. Without a roof, and with the auto ‘box, it really turns into a very fast, very surefooted boulevard cruiser. So I suppose everyone’s initial thoughts are correct then.

On the subject of fast, that’s one thing this Turbo Cabriolet Tiptronic does every bit as well as the coupe. Have the pedal make contact with the carpet, in any gear (but especially 3^rd) and you will be catapulted forward like no other car on sale. It’s a truly unique experience (well, until the Nissan GT-R arrives, that is). Neither the F430 nor Gallardo seem to press you so firmly into the seat when you floor it, it’s quite a surreal experience. Anyone who owns one will have to exercise serious restraint if they want to keep hold of their licence...

Unfortunately, across country I didn’t feel like I wanted to press on as much as in the coupe – it just worked so much better at 70%. So in that respect its actually pretty spot on. It’s a very well planted convertible, good to look at, and blindingly fast when you want it to be. Just don’t expect it to be as good as the coupe.

The other place that it falls down for me is in the price. £106,000 is a hell of a lot of money for this car. Especially when you consider what else you could have for not a lot more. £30k extra buys you a Gallardo Spyder, which isn’t an everyday car admittedly, but must be tempting at that price. Closer to (under, in fact at £100,000) its price tag you have the Merc SL55 AMG, which though older must be on a prospective buyers’ ‘look at’ list. The same £30k as the Gallardo also gets you a Bentley Continental GTC, which must make the decision even harder.

At only £12k more though, is the Aston DB9Volante Auto – one of the best looking cars on the road today. It has a strong 450bhp V12, but its performance is some way off the 997 Turbo’s. I would go for the DB9, but that’s because I love Aston Martins, pure and simple. I love their sense of occasion, their style and their subtlety. But I couldn’t fault anyone for buying the 997. That engine really is astounding, offering up performance to humble anything this side of a 599GTB. And driving around every day, with the roof down, I’m sure they’d have a fantastic time.

[Dr G]

Has to be the squish top DB9 - That V12 is entertainment enough on its own.

997 cab just doesn't seem 'special' in that company.

[mrclav]

Not really a fan of Porsche's although I do appreciate them. I'm with the poster above regarding the Aston; this just doesn't match that car for "specialness" even though it's undoubtedly faster and more reliable etc, plus it looks a bit funny with the roof chopped off. To be honest, I'm just waiting for some wag to come up with an 'original' hairdresser quip...

One final point Beefmeister - you're a bit late regarding chrome spinners, I think you'll find they fell out of fashion quite some time ago old bean....

Edited by mrclav on Tuesday 4th March 09:31

Edited by mrclav on Tuesday 4th March 09:37

[Beefmeister]

mrclav said:

One final point Beefmeister - you're a bit late regarding chrome spinners, I think you'll find they fell out of fashion quite some time ago old bean....

Dammit, and there's me thinking i was all fashionable and stuff....

[Marki]

Pistonheads said:

This car should be white. With an Ostrich leather interior, and 22” chrome spinner wheels.

What a load of bollax

Maybe thats your taste but some people like ultimate convertibles

[Dagnut]

Pretty negative review right from that start..you having a bad day?

[clorenzen]

Waste of time reading this revue.

[Don]

Most of the critique seems to be at the auto-box...which would be the same in the coupe.

It would be interesting to hear about a manual cab. 911 convertibles have always been somewhat "ugly". Personally I like 'em. I mean...192mph four wheel drive turbo nutter bd and the roof comes off - what's not to like!?

[kambites]

Don said:

what's not to like!?

Only the handling and the looks; and I suppose the image if you're the kind of person who cares. Strangely, the objection most people seem to have is simply that it isn't as good as the coupe, which strikes me as a a rather daft thing to complain about given the obvious advantages of a drop-top.

Personally I don't like 911s at all but I don't see that this is any better or worse really than the coupe. It's just different.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th March 11:17

[Beefmeister]

Marki said:

Pistonheads said:

This car should be white. With an Ostrich leather interior, and 22” chrome spinner wheels.

What a load of bollax

Maybe thats your taste but some people like ultimate convertibles

Er.....

Don't think you've really got what i was talking about there. I was referring to the perception of these sort of cars - the 'footballers rides' if you will.



As for the other comments, no i wasn't necessarily having a bad day, but i had some pretty negative preconceptions of this car before i drove it, as i'm sure a lot of petrolheads would.

I was surprised on some counts, and felt correct on others.

Incidentally, did you actually read to the end of the review? I actually end up pretty positive about it.

[Don]

Well the handling can never be quite as good as the coupe as it will be less stiff - or heavier due to strengthening. But its a Porsche. It will handle very, very well. Just not quite as well as the coupe or a GT3 or a RS. But the roof comes off! Great when touring in the mountains.

It's going to have a fat arse though. Can't be helped once you have the engine in there and have to put a folding roof on top of it...

[Beefmeister]

clorenzen said:

Waste of time reading this revue (sp)

Would you care to elaborate a little? I always welcome constructive criticism.

Edited by Beefmeister on Tuesday 4th March 11:23

[Marki]

Beefmeister said:

Marki said:

Pistonheads said:

This car should be white. With an Ostrich leather interior, and 22” chrome spinner wheels.

What a load of bollax

Maybe thats your taste but some people like ultimate convertibles

Er.....

Don't think you've really got what i was talking about there. I was referring to the perception of these sort of cars - the 'footballers rides' if you will.



As for the other comments, no i wasn't necessarily having a bad day, but i had some pretty negative preconceptions of this car before i drove it, as i'm sure a lot of petrolheads would.

I was surprised on some counts, and felt correct on others.

Incidentally, did you actually read to the end of the review? I actually end up pretty positive about it.

No i did not read further than the opening comment

Tired of the cliched Clarksonisms that always seems to be in any review recently , we are not 12 years old school kids

[kambites]

Marki said:

No i did not read further than the opening comment

Tired of the cliched Clarksonisms that always seems to be in any review recently , we are not 12 years old school kids

So you don't bother to read the article but then post complaining about the quality of it... or was that meant to be sarcasm?

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th March 11:29

[robm3]

clorenzen said:

Waste of time reading this revue.

Just like school was hey?

[Marki]

kambites said:

Marki said:

No i did not read further than the opening comment

Tired of the cliched Clarksonisms that always seems to be in any review recently , we are not 12 years old school kids

So you don't bother to read the article but then post complaining about the quality of it... or was that meant to be sarcasm?

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th March 11:29

No i did not, the opening comments told me all i needed to know about the review .

[kambites]

Marki said:

No i did not, the opening comments told me all i needed to know about the review .

some people.

Seemed a very well written, balanced review to me.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th March 11:36

[dxb335d]

I love the 997 Turbo coupe, its a car that is definately on my wish list. The convertible does nothing for me. I would not want one.

[vinceh]

I sighed when I saw the sub-heading "But has Porsche ruined it by chopping off the roof?" How many times have I read this over the years, in how many reviews?

Still, why agonise when you can plagiarise?

Edited by vinceh on Tuesday 4th March 12:16

[clorenzen]

Beefmeister said:

clorenzen said:

Waste of time reading this revue (sp)

Would you care to elaborate a little? I always welcome constructive criticism.

Edited by Beefmeister on Tuesday 4th March 11:23

Hi Tim

Let me elaborate. I am fortunate enough to own a DB9 and a 997tt cabrio (manual) and have prior to the 997tt cabrio had a 997 coupe for 12.000 miles, also manual So at least I should be adequately informed about these cars. You have to judge the cars for what they are i.e. a cabrio will always have more chassis flex than a coupe. Among cabrio's however, I don't think you get a better chassis than the 997tt cabrio. In some ways I could even argue, that the slight flex (if that is the right word) of the cabrio chassis actually lends itself to the suspension of the 997tt better than the coupe version. Taking bends flat out on smooth surfaces, the grip of the cabrio is breathtaking. On some of the same bends the rigid chassis of the 997tt would actually make you feel the bumps in the road more. One of the amazing things of the Porsche cabrio is actually that it has exactly the same suspension settings than the coupe - more than can be said about the DB9 Volante chassis with a softer setting and hence more limiting dynamics (That's why my DB9 is a coupe and my Porsche is a cabrio). On the TipTronic gearbox I am entirely with you but that is another debate. I think you need to appreciate the refinement of the cabrio chassis more (comparing it to its peers) and the way the turbo gets its power on the road is impressive. Also the comfort level is very hign. There is virtually no windnoise up to 70mph and beyond and the top speed is not limited by the fact that it has a canvas roof - it also has two useable rear seats. So if you are in the market for an everyday topless supercar I think that the Porsche is the only one to go for as the other all have their flaws and where you need to compromise much more on dynamics, useability or looks.

[kambites]

You seem to be saying that chassis flex is a good thing because Porsche made the suspension too stiff! A car should NOT be using chassis flex to provide suspension, that's essentially making half of the car unsprung mass.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th March 12:47