Highlights Of The New 911 Carrera 4/Carrera 4S

The wide rear end and the folding roof bear clear and convincing testimony to this brand-new model in the 911 range: The new Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S Cabriolet offer a unique synthesis of open-air motoring and driving pleasure of the highest calibre further enhanced by two ultra-powerful and dynamic engines: The 3.6-litre flat-six in the Carrera 4 developing maximum output of 239 kW (325 bhp) and the 3.8-litre in the Carrera 4S providing an even more impressive 261 kW (355 bhp).

The open-air Carrera with four-wheel drive accelerates to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and has a top speed of 280 km/h or 174 mph. Top speed of the Carrera 4S Cabriolet is an even more impressive 288 km/h or 179 mph, with acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.

Superior power transmission by four-wheel drive is crucial to the particular character of the two Carrera 4 Cabriolets: Driven through the viscous multiple-plate clutch, the front wheels convey a minimum of 5 per cent of the engine power and, if necessary, up to 40 per cent to the road. The result is extra driving stability and roadholding in bends and even better directional stability at very high speeds as well as enhanced traction on slippery surfaces.

Reinforcements specific to both four-wheel drive and the open-air body give the bodyshell of the car a very high standard of stiffness and safety at all times. Together with the soft roof weighing only 42 kg or 93 lb and keeping the car’s centre of gravity appropriately low, the robust structure of the body enhances the car’s driving precision to an unprecedented standard. And at the same time it provides the foundation for superior safety in a collision.

The supreme standard of passive safety is ensured not only by the specific structure of the bodyshell, but also by high-strength steel tubes integrated in the A-pillars and the rollbars at the rear moving up automatically in the event of an imminent rollover. Further safety and protection is then added by no less than six airbags including two cushion-shaped head airbags introduced in an open sports car for the first time worldwide by Porsche.