LeftLane News has this to say about the new 911 997.5 cabrio:
The 911 Carrera Cabriolet is a true Porsche, from top to bottom. With amazing acceleration, and incredibly grippy brakes, it is the ultimate package for a Porschephile who also happens to be a sun worshipper. Not a car for first-time enthusiasts afraid of its unique handling characteristics, it nonetheless begs to be driven and enjoyed any day of the year.
“Along with direct fuel injection, the new Porsche engines offer the new Porsche Doppelkuppling (PDK), available as an option. It’s a technology that first helped Porsche racing cars create a sensation on racetracks around the world in the 1980s. After years of painstaking development, its application in a street-legal 911 has come to fruition.
PDK, with both a manual gearshift and an automatic mode, has seven gears at its disposal. It is essentially two gearboxes in one and, as the name suggests, two clutches. Whenever a particular gear is engaged, the next gear in the other gearbox is always preselected. The result?
Gear shifts take mere hundredths of a second, and without any hint of interruption to the flow of power. PDK provides improved responsiveness and greater agility with more fuel efficiency.
In combination with the Sport Chrono Package Plus, PDK has a choice of two additional functions: Launch Control for optimum acceleration from a standing start, and a motorsport-derived gearshift strategy, bringing gearshift characteristics straight from the racetrack.”
“The position of its flat-six engine at the rear of the chassis is an iconic element of the Porsche 911. For many drivers, it’s the single characterisitic that defines the 911 dirving experience. That experience is now further evolved in the new 911, thanks to two new engines that use direct fuel injection.
How does this improve upon conventional fuel injection? By preparing the fuel/air mixture entirely in the combustion chamber, where it is then metered and injected directly with millisecond precision.
From a technical perspective, the more accurate fuel/air mixture and optimization of combustion has increased performance while being more fuel efficient. Power and torque outputs are now 345 and 385 horsepower and 288 lb.-ft. and 310 lb.-ft. for the 3.6- and 3.8-litre engines respectively.”
Sure the PDK is great. It speeds acceleration via faster gear shifts, and it reduces petrol usage by adding a *7th* gear… In short is is a long overdue, but necessary technical jump forward for Porsche. The company is also rolling out its direct fuel injection at the same time, which provides 9% or so of greater horsepower and reduces CO2 emissions because it burns petrol more efficiently as it does not first mix the fuel with air before it enters the cylinder chamber.
That phrase – the new 911 – was first heard in 1963. Since then, it’s been said many times, yet never without merit. It marks not merely the arrival of another model year, but a new milestone in the advancement of sports car performance. With this new 911, Porsche engineers have once again proven that no matter how high the bar is set, it can be set higher still.
You may recall that last year, part of the Porsche factory that produces the 911 caught fire and delayed some production for a short time. Because not all Porsches are produced in the same factory, most of the Porsche supply chain went unaffected.
Fast forward to 2008, and we see again why companies should always buy transportation of goods insurance. Turns out that early Wednesday morning a train was derailed in Dillenberg, Germany (wherever that is), which cause 20 brand new 911s and who knows how many other cars to be brutally damaged. Porsche lovers hearts are breaking across the world! Still in tight times, maybe Porsche can make more money with train crashes rather than a weak sales market… Read the rest of this entry »
Some entertainment for you, take a spin in the new Porsche 911. It’s super cool!
Two bonuses for you in this video, first note the ability to disable the front two wheels in the Carrera 4 and 4S. Second, take a look at the new launch control teamed with the sport chrono package. Pretty cool!
“While it is often said that nothing can be all things to all people, there are rare exceptions. The 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S certainly fall within that category, offering the open-air driving enjoyment of a cabriolet with the security and weather protection of a coupe.
In a 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S, you can quickly tailor the driving environment as your mood or the temperature changes.
Both Targa 4 models have an electrically operated glass roof panel which forms an integral part of the bodyshell structure. Building on the same basic platform as the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S models, the Targa roof provides a unique sense of space and light – even when the roof is closed. Your surroundings become part of the driving experience, whatever the season, whatever the weather, whatever the time of day or night. Amen.”
“Like the 911 Turbo, the Carrera 4S rides lower than the Carrera 4 on a stiffer suspension tuned for crisp, mid-corner balance and straight-line stability. The standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system automatically adjusts to changing road conditions. An added feature allows a choice of two modes – Normal and Sport – to further fine-tune the suspension simply with the touch of a button.
The primal rush of 355 horse-power is sent to the pavement, anchored at each corner by 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and wider 305/30 ZR 19 rear tires. The only thing missing? Racing decals. Amen”
“Dual front Advanced Airbags and the Porsche Side Impact Protection (POSIP) system surround 911 passengers with added levels of protection. A total of six airbags designed for the unique demands of open-air driving work in tandem with a labyrinth of advanced alloy support beams and auto-deploying supplemental safety bars to satisfy the more stringent safety requirements thou shalt demand. Amen.”
“Sporting the same power plant and chassis setup as it’s Coupe cousin, the Convertible 911 Carrera S turns each precise throw of the gearshift into an invitation. And every turn of the steering wheel into a revelation. An optional Tiptronic S transmission monitors your style of driving and, in automatic mode, intuitively selects a computerized shift program for optimal levels of acceleration, braking, and cornering. Together with the standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which seamlessly adapts damping forces to changing road conditions and riving styles, the result is added agility without compromising safety or comfort. Amen”
