Beautifully simple, breathtakingly rapid, mind-numbingly precise: the destination for the new 911 carrera cabriolet stays the same, but it now takes a new route to get there
A couple of years ago, I drove a car I never thought I’d get to drive. No, I didn’t snag a drive in a Koenigsegg or a Pagani or any of those fancy, rare hypercars. It was the Porsche 911 Targa 4S. For those of you who don’t know what a Targa is, it’s a type of body style that was developed specifically for America. It’s a unique kind of car that sits somewhere between a hardtop and a convertible. It was the first naturally-aspirated 911 I drove. The power rating mentioned in the Targa 4S’ brochure was nothing I’d never seen before, but the way that engine delivered all that thrust was amazing. It was one crazy experience to have driven a Porsche that was as American as it was German – the only one of its kind.
A few months after that, Porsche handed me the keys to the Turbo S – the most lethal 911 on sale – and that blew my mind. It’s unreal how the Turbo S defies physics and is precise like no other car in the world is. It was an insane experience.
I don’t think cabriolets work in India. Firstly, the climate is not exactly drop-top friendly, and some of the convertibles I’ve driven in the past disappointed me. But with the 911, I just know it will be good. The underpinnings are so solid, that even with the roof missing, it ain’t going to be bad at all. Turbo charged replaces nat-asp? Bring it on, I say.
Porsche knows how important the Indian market is, and has introduced the new 911 here just a few months post its global launch. This is not a generation change, but it would be unfair to call the 991.2 a facelift. It is not only the face that’s got a makeover: the 991.2 is rocking a new motor and a fancier cabin to complement its character.
This story is from the August 2016 edition of BBC TopGear India.
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This story is from the August 2016 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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