1991 Porsche 911 cabriolet Photo by Brendan McAleer
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Usually speaking, cutting the roof of a sports car is a very bad idea. For one thing, the former rigid frame is now as floppy as an old shoe. For another, now there is nothing between you and all the rain and wasps and what not.
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The objection to this argument has long been the Porsche 911 Cabriolet. There are more exotic fast convertibles out there, but the 911 is remarkable for its everyday usability. In cabriolet form, it is an exciting move that allows you to enjoy the sun. In addition, while sports cars often boast of low times from zero to 100 km / h, the ability of the current cabriolet 911 to raise or lower its roof in just twelve seconds is the kind of performance that owners will appreciate. It is also now so close to the rigidity of the chassis with the coupe version that any differences in handling can only be observed on one track. There are all kinds of flavors of the 911 cabriolet that you can try, from the wonderful base model. in the fast version Turbo. Porsche does not divide sales numbers of 911 into coupe and convertible, but the important thing is that overall, the droptop 911 can exceed the sales of its fixed roof.
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Strange, then, that the 911 cabriolet almost did not happen. And that, technically speaking, it would take until the early 1980s to appear in a recognizable form. A range of Porsche 911 Cabriolets Photo by Porsche
Vandals and the first Porsche
No discussion of the history of Porsche convertibles would be complete without reference to the ür-Porsche which is the Type 64. Two of them – perhaps three, there is some disagreement – were built in 1938 for a race between Berlin and Rome. This fight was never fought because of World War II. After the war, some American soldiers encountered this strange German racing car sitting in the warehouse and decided that it would make a decent escape if only it did not have such a narrow cabin. So they broke the roof and drove it until the engine exploded.
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An early Porsche 911 Targa Photo by Porsche This American taste for top-down driving, from foot to floor, would further influence Porsche when the company built the stripped Speedster. However, the 911 was first designed as a coupe, with no specific plans for a convertible. Clearly, however, if this new car were to be a worldwide success, it would need some sort of version with a removable roof. So Porsche engineers did exactly what these happy GIs did and just cut the roof off a prototype Porsche. Technically the result was not the first 911 cabriolet, because the car was not even a Porsche 911. Initially, Porsche intended to market its then new car as a Porsche 901, but the French carmaker Peugeot entered the market with a trademark of all the names models with number zero. So the production cars got 911 badges, and we all got a piece of a tedious car industry that you can bore people into at the next local cars and cafes.
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Restoration of Porsche’s 50th anniversary of a 1972 911 Targa
Targa: Italian for “fun”, German for “almost convertible”
The problem with this original Porsche 901 convertible is that it was not really a convertible at all. It was cut, but did not have a folding soft top to fasten it again when the elements did not work together (eg rain and wasps). Further, and perhaps more worryingly, there were rumors across the Atlantic that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was considering banning convertibles altogether. The reputation was wrong – it was based on incoming reversal claims that were promoted – but Porsche found a smart solution nonetheless. This solution was a roof that came off but left behind a roll bar. The front of the roof could be raised and the rear windshield was foldable vinyl. There was also a version with a fixed rear window, which turned out to be the longest running idea.
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This model was named after Targa Florio, a historic and dangerous mountain race in Sicily where Porsche had won many victories. Founded by racer Vincenzo Florio, the name of the race may also be “The Florio Trophy”. While the NHTSA threat never went away, the Targa was a very popular model for Porsche, creating a number of models that continue to this day, and the “Targa” became an abbreviation for any convertible where the middle of the roof is removable. Mazda calls its MX-5 RF “retractable fastback”, but it is actually a kind of Miata Targa. A 1982 Porsche 911 Cabriolet Photo by Porsche
Air-cooled engine, air-cooled driver
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Porschephiles often speak lyrically about the character of one of the brand’s early air-cooled engines and how modern versions do not really respond. Unfortunately, such snobbery is probably right: today’s Porsches are much faster and more shapely, but there is something about the experience of driving an air-cooled 911 convertible that is difficult to match. Not only are you out in the elements, climbing in the sun, but the turbine that spins this flat-six engine is now sitting in the cockpit with you. Later, the 911 cabriolet saw Porsche develop ways to reduce the buffet air, but part of the fun of a 911 cabriolet scooter is as if you had just gotten into a fight with a gang of rogue hair dryers.
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There is a famous story in Porsche circles about how production of the 911 was intended to end in the 1980s, with the 928 front-engine taking over. The then CEO Peter Shutz noticed a graph on the wall showing a bar graph marking line 911 that stops in 1981, while 928 and 944 continue. took a marker and extended line 911 directly from the page. The net result was to breathe new life into the 911 series in the early 1980s, and that included a proper cabriolet. It sold well and also relieved a different Porsche owner, someone who would probably choose a 911 as an alternative to something like the Mercedes-Benz SL. In the late 1980s, Porsche introduced the four-speed Tiptronic transmission to the thing.
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A 1991 Porsche 911 cabriolet (in purple, no less) with an automatic transmission is basically the polar opposite of how a fan can identify his car. Hit one for reduced frame rigidity, hit two for lack of a proper manual. Unfortunately, fans are wrong: this car is a pleasure to drive. Just like modern 911 convertibles, cutting off the roof from a Porsche really improves it. Some time ago, cars basically became very fast for their own good, so reducing this performance to an almost incalculable degree is such a small price to pay for a much more demanding ride. As we look into the fog of the future waiting for a hybrid or eventual 911 with an electric battery, this lesson is perhaps the most important thing the 911 cabriolet has to teach us. Cars will always become faster and faster as the years go by. And cut their roof? It turns out that it can be the best way to make sure you really want to go for a ride.
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