http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=47&i=17678
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 really 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 5th 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 3rd 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 3rd) 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.
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...
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 really 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 5th 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 3rd 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 3rd) 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. 
