  2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Jeff Wilson
If there were to be a dictionary definition for Spoiled Rotten Automotive Writer, it would read something to the effect of:
noun
A child-like, uncouth, ungrateful adult responsible for the creation of unbiased written or video reviews of vehicular modes of transportation.
The accompanying illustration would feature a black-and-white drawing of my face.
You see, I must define this shameful identity since I had the nerve to express actual disappointment aloud when I learned of the specifications of the Porsche 911 I was to review. Seriously. What is wrong with me?
For those who know me, this makes absolutely no sense. I have lusted after the iconic P-car since I was a child. I had posters on my bedroom walls as a kid (and have even put one up in my toddler’s bedroom now, too). I still have a shelf in my office full of mostly Porsches, so how dare I express anything other than unbridled gratitude and wet-my-pants excitement to those who have allowed me to possess a 911 for seven glorious days?
The problem here is the 911 being offered is the less powerful Carrera (not the Carrera S). Plus it’s a Cabriolet. It’s all-wheel drive. It’s without a stick shift. It’s painted bright (Guards) red. And this is exactly the way someone would order their car if they were interested solely in impressing others and not the raw purity of this revered sports car legend.
As a legitimate Porsche aficionado (one who has never actually owned one of Stuttgart’s finest, mind you), I’d order my 911 as a Carrera S coupe. With a real driver’s transmission requiring the use of three pedals. And it ought to be finished in a proper Teutonic silver or grey hue.
However, in being the professional that I am, I’ll suffer the hand dealt me and objectively go about driving this $130K+ convertible to report back to you, kind readers.
   2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
Holding the coupe-shaped key in my hand, I open the door for the first time and drop down into the black leather seat. It’s not the optional 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats Plus offered by Porsche for $8,100, but just the standard shape seats… (sigh)… and they are sensational. They contain my frame perfectly and prove comfortable for hours at a time. They’re sufficiently bolstered to keep driver and passenger where they belong in aggressive cornering, yet do not require a gymnast’s agility to climb into. They’re sensible and functional just as they should be in a proper driver’s car.
The driving position places the thick-rimmed steering wheel at just the right location, giving clear view of the traditional, large round tach front and centre, flanked by an analog speedo to the left (which is useless given it meters 0–330 km/h within a diminutive half-circle) and an LCD multi-function display to the right. This little screen cycles through various forms of information from navigation directions to radio stations to g-force metering ensuring a Carrera driver is a well-informed driver.
The centre dash and console are riddled with buttons and switches (and a large, razor-sharp infotainment display). It takes a bit of time for familiarity, but once you know where everything is, it’s all close at hand and easily accessed on the go even if a few knobs would help to make the climate control easier to manipulate.
