Porsche 996 Carrera 4S Cabriolet 2004

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet

Highlights

Open for sports motoring

Like its coupé counterpart,the open-air Porsche 911 Carrera 4S,through its wider rear wheel arches flared by 60 millimetres or 2.36",makes a clear statement,emphasizing that the primary feature in this case is sporting grip on the rear drive wheels.Despite the only slight modification of axle loads and aerodynamic effects remaining only minor,the lowered chassis and suspension of the Carrera 4S are specially designed and tailored for the open body of the car.The result is very sporting and dynamic driving behaviour at all times pro- viding excellent grip and roadholding particularly at high and very high speeds.Benefitting from this most sporting and dynamic concept,the Carrera 4S cabriolet combines utmost pleasure of dynamic motoring with the joy of driving in the open air.

Roof opens also while driving

The soft roof of the open-air 911 Carrera 4S stands out not only through its superior quality and the special Z-folding mechanism,but also by its very special ability to open up at the touch of a button even while driving:Up to a speed of 50 km/h or 31 mph,the driver can operate the roof at any time simply by pressing a button.And even at this speed the soft roof takes only about 20 seconds to disengage at the front and fold to the rear,where it dis- appears completely beneath the roof compartment lid.

Stiffest bodyshell of all 911 Cabriolets

The bodyshell of the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is based on its coupé counterpart,the main differences being specific body reinforcements,for example on the side-sills,additional junction plates and reinforcements of the door shaft behind the B-pillar,made for the first time on a Porsche sports car of high-strength DP600 steel and both welded and bonded in the interest of superior stability.All together,these modifications make the bodyshell of the Carrera 4S Cabriolet and the Turbo Cabriolet the stiffest body structure on all open-air 911s.

Traction on all four wheels

Developing 235 kW or 320 bhp,the 3.6-litre flat-six delivers its power to all four wheels. Featuring four-wheel-drive technology with a viscous multiple-plate clutch,the drivetrain con- veys a minimum of 5 per cent to the front wheels and,if necessary,increases this front- wheel power to 40 per cent.Another standard feature is electronic Porsche Stability Manage- ment (PSM)which,in combination with four-wheel drive,ensures a particularly high standard of driving safety on the road. Same brake system as in the Turbo The brake system also carried over from the 911 Turbo offers active safety of the highest standard.Compared with the other Carrera models,the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet features larger and reinforced four-piston fixed callipers on both the front and rear wheels,and it almost goes without saying that the cross-drilled,inner-vented brake discs are larger than usual.This ensures supreme brake power and very short stopping distances even under the toughest conditions.

Ceramic brakes as an option

As an option the new 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet can be fitted with Porsche Ceramic Compo- site Brakes (PCCB)about 50 per cent lighter than metal brake discs.In conjunction with the brake pads also specially made in this case,the ceramic brake discs immediately deve- lop a very substantial and,in particular,consistent frictional coefficient during application of the brakes.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet

Wide - Dynamic - Open

The new 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet offers more than "just"a dynamic driving experience - quite simply because the outstanding driving dynamics of the car clearly underlined by the rear wheel arches 60 millimetres or 2.36"wider than on the 911 Carrera go together in practice with the very special experience of driving an open sports car of the highest calibre.

The basic elements of this synthesis are already well known from the coupé version of the 911 Carrera 4S,including,inter alia,the 235 kW (320 bhp)3.6-litre flat-six power unit,a six-speed manual gearbox,four-wheel drive,and the entire chassis lowered by 10 millimetres or 0.39".Specially tailored to the body of the cabriolet with its specific weight distribution, these drive and chassis components guarantee sporting and safe motoring up to the highest speed range.With the roof closed,the open-air Carrera 4S has a top speed of 280 km/h or 174 mph,that is the same as the coupé.And the two models also accelerate from 0 - 100 km/h in virtually the same time,the cabriolet,at 5.3 seconds,requiring only 0.2 seconds more than the coupé on account of its extra weight of 70 kg or 154 lb.

All-round sports concept with safety reserves

One of the most significant characteristics both models have in common is of course the driving pleasure they both offer - a unique experience which cannot be expressed in figures alone:The lowered chassis and suspension,wide track and four-wheel drive offer a standard of longitudinal and lateral dynamics the driver and his - or her - passenger will perhaps enjoy most on winding country roads.Extra safety is offered in this experience by electronic Porsche Stability Management (PSM)featured as standard and,in combination with four- wheel drive,providing a particularly high level of driving stability.

Opening the roof,the driver and passengers will enhance their driving pleasure to an even higher standard:The soft roof disengages in just 20 seconds,folding to the rear and dis- appearing beneath the roof compartment lid.Fully automatic,the roof also opens and clo- ses while driving,allowing the driver to operate the roof at the touch of a button at any time up to a speed of 50 km/h or 30 mph.

All Porsche 911 Cabriolets feature two rollbars to counter the risk of a rollover.Normally hidden inconspicuously behind the rear seats,the rollbars only move up when they receive a signal from a sway angle sensor indicating the imminent threat of a rollover.

Stiffest bodyshell of all 911 Cabriolets

The bodyshell of the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is based on its coupé counterpart,the most significant differences being specific reinforcement elements replacing the stabilising effect of the metal roof.The side-sills on the cabriolet,for example,are reinforced by twice the usual panel thickness,with additional junction plates and shaft reinforcements behind the B-pillar.To achieve maximum strength and stiffness,the designers and construction engineers responsible for the reinforced shafts used high-strength DP600 steel for the first time on a Porsche sports car both welded and bonded at all crucial points.Benefitting from extra- strong adhesive bonds,the welding spots,forming a composite structure,are able to take up even more energy in the event of a collisions.In all,these modifications of the bodyshell make this - together with the body of the Turbo cabriolet - the stiffest and strongest of all Porsche 911 body structures.

Redesigned rear lid and roof compartment cover

Seen from behind,the Carrera 4S cabriolet stands out clearly from the other open-air Carreras not only through its rear wings 60 millimetres or 2.36"wider than usual.For the rear lid made,like on the coupé,of glass-fibre-reinforced plastic (GFP),is also a new design. Instead of forming a U-shape as in the past,the lid now extends round the retractable spoiler on all four sides,meaning that a narrow stripe has been added just above the spoiler.The rear spoiler itself as well as the row of lights between the rear light clusters again characte- ristic of the 911 Carrera 4S have been carried over without any modification from the coupé. A new feature,on the other hand,is the roof compartment cover integrating the third brake light now also characteristic of the 911 Carrera 4S.

Aerodynamic qualities comparable to the coupé

Top speed of 280 km/h or 174 mph clearly proves the superior aerodynamic qualities of the open-air 911 Carrera 4S:With its roof up,the cabriolet is exactly as fast as the coupé. And whilst the car's drag coefficient is influenced slightly by the fabric structure of the soft roof,the difference is virtually non-existent,both versions of the Carrera 4S completing their test in the wind tunnel with a drag coefficient (C d )of 0.30.

Brake system of the highest Porsche standard

With its Turbo brake system,the new 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet offers truly outstanding stopping power equal in virtually every respect to that of the 911 Turbo.Versus the other models in the Carrera range,larger and reinforced four-piston fixed callipers front and rear provide the necessary stopping power and deceleration.And it almost goes without saying that the cross-drilled,inner-vented brake discs are extra-large in width and diameter,mea- suring 34 millimetres or 1.34"in width and 330 millimetres or 13.00"in diameter at the front.The rear wheels,in turn,come with brake discs of the same diameter,but reduced in width to 28 millimetres or 1.10".Clearly,modifications of this kind ensure truly outstanding brake power and performance even under the toughest conditions.The 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet comes on 18-inch light-alloy wheels with 225/40 tyres at the front and 295/30 tyres on the rear wheels.

As an option the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is available with Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB)weighing approximately 50 per cent less than metal brake discs.In conjunc- tion with brake linings also specially made in this case,the ceramic brake discs immediately build up a very high and,in particular,consistent frictional coefficient upon application of the brakes. Model Year 2004 o 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet 75