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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Generations: 9
First production year: 1983
Engines: Gasoline
Body style: Convertible (spider/spyder, cabrio/cabriolet, drop/open/soft top)
PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabrio (992) photo gallery

The Porsche Carrera Cabriolet was introduced along with the Carrera Coupe, in July 2019. It offered 15 hp more than its predecessor and an open-top to enjoy the drive.

There was a long road between the first, naturally aspirated, Porsche 911, and the 2021 Carrera Coupe. While the first 911 was for pure sports driving experience, the eighth generation was a mix of performance, elegance, luxury, and exclusivity.

The front side of the car featured the same round headlights design but evolved. It featured the four-dots LED daytime running lights signature. The bigger apron in the front featured bigger air-intakes since the Carrera featured a twin-turbo engine and it wasn't naturally aspirated anymore. The flush to the bodywork pop-out door handles looked smooth. Interestingly, the car was fitted with 19” light-alloy wheels at the front and 20” for the rear axle. Behind the rear seats, there was the storage area for the soft-top. A big panel will go back and the roof will disappear underneath. With the roof up, the sleek form of the classic 911 shape was kept. In the back, on the soft-top storage compartment's lid, the third stop-light showed the 11 number when it was lit.

Inside, the Carrera Cabriolet was fitted with all the comfort and luxurious items required by an exclusive sports-car as the Porsche 911. The sport seats and the finishes had a premium look. The instrument cluster featured the classic five-dials, but only the tachometer was analog. The other four were TFT displays. A 10.9” screen for the PCM (Porsche Communication Management) was installed in the middle of the dashboard.

The flat-six under the engine lid was a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine that cranked up 385 hp. It was mated as standard with the new 8-speed automatic (PDK) transmission.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabrio (991) photo gallery

In 2015 Porsche 911 991 generation received an update over the 2012 model. It was also available in an open-top configuration that added more features than before.

It was hard to understand why the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet didn't have some features such as Bluetooth connectivity. It was also hard to accept that the car didn't feature Android Auto and only Apple CarPlay was available. But some things change when the 2015 facelift was introduced.

First, it was the look. The four LED daytime running lights mounted inside the headlights were a good addition. The front bumper was redesigned and received different air-intakes. The taillights were redesigned too. The PASM (Porsche Active Suspension System) was fitted as standard and that decreased the ground clearance by 10 mm.

The interior received a new steering wheel and a new infotainment system, named Porsche Communication Management System. It offered connectivity with the iPhone to use the Apple CarPlay. Those who are using the Android-based phones will have to work their way via a Porsche App. The interior was offered with a 2+2 seating configuration, but obviously, the rear seats are more for storage area.

Under the hood, there was a real modification. The 2015 model received a newly developed 3.0-liter flat-six turbocharged engine. It offered more torque and it was available from 1.500 rpm and stayed flat up until 5000 rpm. The standard gearbox was a 7-speed manual and a PDK automatic with the same number of gears was available.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet (991) photo gallery

The 2012 Porsche launched an all-new generation of the famous 911 sports car. It came in various shapes, including the Cabriolet version.

The 911 is one of the most successful sports cars in the world, with over 1 million vehicles sold in its career. The German brand started its career in 1963 and its journey never ended, while its sales were always strong on its car-segment.

The car was longer than its predecessor and was built with a better aerodynamic, to help in both fields of fuel-efficiency and top speed. The new bumper incorporated on its upper corners the LED daytime running lights, while on its lower side there were three large air intakes to cool the brakes and the radiators. From the side, the newly designed 19” light-alloy-wheels are standard.

Inside, the 911 had four seats installed even if only the front ones were usable. There were two options for them, with up to 18 way adjustable with a memory that also included the steering wheel position. The dashboard had the 911 classical layout. The 911's trademark five round instruments provided all the important information about the vehicle's operating state. The new 4.8-inch, high-resolution, TFT color screen in the instrument cluster to the right of the central rev counter contained extensive configurable display options for vehicle status, audio, telephone, navigation, map display, on-board computer and tire pressure monitoring.

The rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Porsche Carrera Cabriolet featured a 3.8-liter unit mated to a standard 7-speed manual gearbox. As an option, there was a 7-speed PDK automatic (dual-clutch). For the brakes, there was an option for the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) with ceramic disc brakes and six-piston fixed calipers on the front axle as an option.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet (997) photo gallery

In 2004, Porsche launched a new generation of its well-known Porsche 911.

That generation was named 997 and it represented an important upgrade for the whole range, especially after the 2008 facelift.

After four years into production, a mid-life cycle refresh was ready for the market. Porsche had to improve its engines to make them cleaner and to respect the new pollution norms in Europe. It meant that it had to build its cars more fuel-efficient. As usual, the rest of the car suffered some minor changes too.

On the outside, the first difference was on the front bumper, where larger air-intakes were sculptured. The headlights were fitted with LED daytime running lights and an option for bi-xenon lamps was added to the list. The rearview mirrors were slightly redesigned. In the rear, the taillights received an LED design.

As any premium or sports convertible, the Carrera Cabriolet featured a power-roof, which could cover and uncover the car in 20 seconds. The interior featured a new PCM (Porsche Communication Management), which supported the Apple CarPlay. For Android users, there was an app to download, but it didn't work as well as the iOS systems.

The Carrera Cabriolet featured a 3.6-liter engine that cranked up 345 hp, It was mated as standard to a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic PDK (dual-clutch) was on the options list.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet (997) photo gallery

Just a few months after the introduction of the 2004 911 (997 series), the convertible version was released. But the two body versions were developed at the same time.

The 996 generation was the first to feature water-cooled engines and it was not such a big success as expected. Porsche fans, especially, didn't enjoy it too much so, the introduction of the 997 generation in 2004 was very important for the German sports-car maker.

The convertible version for both Carrera and Carrera S was developed at the same time with the coupe. Thus, the engineers installed on the coupe some reinforcements needed for the cabriolet. As usual, most of the body parts from the open-top version were carried-over from the coupe. The platform was strengthened to act as a chassis. The convertible was only seven kilograms (15.4lbs) heavier than the coupe, which made it as fast as the closed-version.

Inside, the Carrera Cabrio featured the same options as the coupe, plus the wind deflector. That allowed a normal conversation even with the top down at highway speed. To cover or uncover the car, the electric system needed only 20 seconds at speeds up to 50 kph (31 mph). To protect the occupants, the 997 cabriolet offered reinforcedac bars and six airbags.

For the engine compartment, the 911 Carrera Cabriolet 997 was fitted with a 3.6-liter flat-six that offered 325 hp. It was paired as standard to a 6-speed manual, while a 5-speed automatic with manual override (Tiptronic) was offered as an option.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet (996) photo gallery

Designed as a grand tourer, the Porsche Carrera Cabriolet was the base version for the open-top 911 range in 1998. It offered enough comfort to be used as a daily driver.

The 996 Porsche was unveiled in 1997. A year later, the convertible version for some of the models was released, and the base version was the Carrera 2 Cabriolet. It was a sports-car and a grand tourer. Unlike other GT vehicles, it was focused more on performance than on comfort and luxury items.

From the outside, the big headlights were oddly shaped and that brought a lot of criticism from Porsche fans around the world. The bumper featured a simple grille design, with one horizontal slat. From the side, the flush bodywork, without any enlargements for the wheel-arches, offered a clean look. The retractable roof was able to be stowed away in 20 seconds at speeds of up to 50 kph (31 mph), like the rest of the 911 convertible range. With the roof up, the car was tested in the wind tunnel at speeds of up to 338 kph (210 mph), which was higher than what Carrera 2 could reach.

Inside, the car was fitted as standard with a stereo and air-conditioning. Since it was the base model in the stable, it didn't feature too many luxury items, but those were on the options list. The standard seats could have been upgraded to power-adjustable leather seats. The Porsche Communication Management system was offered as an option with a sat-nav system.

Under the engine lid, there was a newly-developed flat-six engine that offered 300 hp. It was mated as standard with a six-speed manual. A 5-speed automatic (Tiptronic) with manual override to shift gears was on the options list. The Carrera 2 was rear-wheel-drive.

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PORSCHE 911 Cabriolet (993) photo gallery

Introduced in 1994 as a 1995 model, the Porsche 911 Cabriolet was more of a Grand Tourismo vehicle than a sports car. Though, it was fast enough for those days.

Porsche offered roadsters and convertibles since its beginning as a car maker. There were only a few models that were not offered with an open-top until 1994. But the 911 had to offer an open-top version. The customers always asked for one.

The 911 Cabrio featured the same cues as its coupe version, but with a few differences apart from the lack of a fixed roof, of course. The new rule for the third brake light gave some headaches to the design team. Since there was no fixed-spoiler in the back, they had to come up with another idea. So, they installed a small spoiler on the rear side of the car, above the engine lid. It was an arch with the stop-light inside.

The interior featured sport-bucket seats in the front and two small seats in the back. The instrument cluster featured five dials, with the tachometer in the middle and a clock on the right side. The climate controls and the stereo were mounted in line with the steering column. When the top was folded down, a wind-stopper was automatically deployed behind the front seats. There were no seats in the back.

The 3.6-liter engine was offered in two versions, with 275 hp and 285 hp. The latter featured the VarioCam system. Both versions were mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet (964) photo gallery

A convertible sports-car is, mostly, a Grand Turismo vehicle, addressed to the customers who enjoy driving under the open sky. And the Carrera 2 Cabriolet was just like that.

By removing the roof from a car, a unibody vehicle became heavier due to reinforcements added under the skin. In the past, when the vehicles were built on a steel ladder chassis, that was not a problem. An open-top sports-car might not be as sporty as its coupe-version, but it adds more pleasure for both the driver and its passenger.

The Carrera 2 Cabriolet kept most of the body panels as it could from the Carrera 2 coupe. Due to the small size of the car, the retractable canvas-top couldn't be hidden and remained exposed behind the cockpit. There was no power close or open the top, just an old-fashion manual mode.

Inside, the manufacturer installed four seats mainly for taxation and insurance reasons, since there was hardly any room in the back for a person. The leather seats were standard fit and so was the air conditioning or the stereo. It featured the same five-dials classic Porsche instrument cluster, with a black background.

For the engine, Porsche offered the flat-six, unit. It offered 260 hp and it was fitted with the latest development systems that mare possible such a high specific output for that era. It was mated either to a 5-speed manual, or a 4-speed automatic with manual override to change gears named Tiptronic. The new suspension moved from torsion bars to struts, which improved the car's handling.

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PORSCHE 911 Carrera Cabriolet (930) photo gallery

The 1983 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet offered the same platform from a Carrera, but with an open-top convertible bodywork. It cut some points from the handling but added some to the pleasure of cruising.

A sports-car remains a sports-car even if the roof is cut and the result is a heavier, and not so stiff car as its coupe-version. For some, the open-top driving experience worth much more than the seconds they could cut in a trip from A to B. After all, there are speed limits, right? So, just enjoying a drive time with the top down might worth more than getting two seconds faster in a race, especially if you are not driving the car on the track.

The convertible was heavier than the coupe and it didn't have the same rigidity of its sibling. But the experience in driving the car with the top down and hear that flat-six in the back was considered a unique experience. The car's shape was almost the same with the roof up as the coupe-version. The plastic window in the back was a good solution for that era. An additional stop-light was mounted above the engine lid when it became mandatory due to safety regulations. The soft-top was manually operated.

Inside, the cockpit featured sport seats in the front and two smaller ones in the back, which were hard to use. The five-dials instrument cluster offered information regarding the oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel level, tachometer in the middle, the speedometer, and, on the right, an analog clock. The ventilation controls were placed at the same level as the steering wheel and the stereo.

The 3.2-liter engine was introduced by Porsche in 1984 and it was offered in two power outputs for the cabriolet version, with 218 hp and 231 hp.

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