First Drive: 2012 Porsche 911 Convertible

Catch a glimpse of a dark painted car with a dark fabric roof, and you’d be forgiven for mistaking the new 991 911 Cabriolet for a regular coupé – the silhouette is now almost identical.

This is thanks to the new flush-fitting ‘panel bow’ soft-top design, which has allowed Porsche to get closer than ever to that iconic 911 shape for those days of the year when you just can’t get the top down. Since this takes just 13 seconds, and can be actioned at up to 31mph there are few excuses, however. But anyway, refinement is increased, too.

A different kind of animal?

Add in a clever new electrically operated wind blocker that flips up from behind the rear seats with no assembly required, and you’ve got one slick convertible solution. Bose (445 watts) and Burmester (800 watts) stereo options both feature a bodyshell-mounted subwoofer that saves space and generates cleaner bass, there are 18-way electrically adjustable sports seats available with cooling as well as heating functions, and the Panamera-influenced high-rise center console is symptomatic of an increased amount of luxury (not to mention buttons).

All of which might strike you as a funny way to start a sports car review – but it’s clear that the 991 911 is a slightly different kind of animal. Despite taking up only marginally more road space that the 997 it replaces, the new car feels curiously wider – which definitely grabs your attention on the exceptionally narrow ribbons of mountain tarmac around Gran Canaria. Yet it’s also more comfortable and easier to drive fast, thanks to the extended wheelbase, wider front track and the filtering effect of the new electro-mechanical power steering.

End result? A 911 that, especially as a convertible, initially seems more Grand Tourer than pure flat-to-the-floor-er. There’s even extra legroom in the back.

But who are we kidding? Turn that frown upside down – this is still a 911. Make no mistake.

This is still a 911