Porsche Debuts New 911 Carrera Cabriolet at New York Auto Show
9 April 1998
1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Makes North American Debut at 1998 New York International Auto Show
New 911 Model Emphasizes Comfort, Convenience, and Safety
in Open-Top Motoring
NEW YORK, April 9 -- Porsche introduces its 1999 911 Carrera
Cabriolet sports car to the North American market this week at the 1998 New
York International Auto Show. The new open-cockpit model is a companion to
the 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe which debuted earlier this year. Together,
they represent the first all-new Porsche 911s in the 34-year history of the
famed sports car model.
The new 911 Cabriolet is equipped with an electronic soft top which raises
or lowers in just 20 seconds. This procedure can be initiated by either
pushing a button on the center console or turning the key in the door lock.
To maintain the model's sleek appearance, the top folds beneath a metal body
flap when lowered. For durability, the top is made of elegant "Sonnenland"
fabric. Inside, the roof rods are covered by a headliner. This feature,
combined with intensive acoustic detail work, has significantly reduced wind
noise with the top raised.
For added versatility, an aluminum hardtop is standard equipment. Weighing
just 71 pounds (32 kilograms), it features a heated rear glass window, hat
shelf, and two-shell construction for added strength and reduced wind noise.
It can easily be installed by two people with a few simple flicks of the
wrists.
Passive safety on the new 911 Cabriolet is exemplary. The newly designed
body structure not only was developed for engineered deformation during
crashes, but also offers significantly higher strength. Full-size driver and
front passenger air bags are standard equipment as are large 30-liter side air
bags which provide protection for the head, chest and pelvis even with the top
and side windows down.
For added safety in the advent of a rollover, the new Cabriolet is
equipped with two supplemental safety bars. Discreetly hidden behind the rear
seats, they are triggered by spring pressure when a tilt sensor determines the
risk of a rollover.
Developed concurrently with the Porsche Boxster to maximize production
efficiencies and keep costs under control, the 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe
and Cabriolet share many design, technological and engineering features with
the two-seat roadster which was introduced last year. Among the shared
features are totally new liquid-cooled engines, brake systems, optional child
seats which can automatically deactivate the passenger air bag system* and,
clearly, a strong family appearance.
From both a design and engineering perspective, however, the 1999 911
Coupe and Cabriolet are quite obviously Porsche 911s. As with every 911 model
since its introduction in 1965, the new 911 Coupe and Cabriolet are powered by
horizontally opposed, six-cylinder, boxer motors mounted behind the rear axle.
The new engine is more compact yet more powerful and fuel efficient than its
predecessor.
The new six-cylinder boxer engine displaces 3.4 liters (207 cubic inches),
has double overhead camshafts, Porsche's VarioCam(TM) valve timing system,
resonance intake system, Bosch Motronic M 5.2 ignition/fuel injection
controls, and develops 296 horsepower (221 kW) and 258 ft. lbs. (350 Nm) of
torque.
While the new 911's body is longer, wider and sleeker than any before it,
offering greater passenger cabin space and refinement, its design distinctly
is an evolutionary one, inspired by the car's heritage.
The Porsche heritage is also evident in the engineering beneath the new
sheet metal. The new 911 has independent, aluminum-alloy front and rear
suspensions, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock system (ABS), power-
assisted rack-and-pinion steering and a six-speed manual transmission. An
optional new five-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission is also available.
An automatic climate control system, power mirrors and locks (with
integrated security system and remote control), leather seating surfaces,
AM/FM/cassette audio system, sunroof (Coupe) and cruise control are among the
interior features standard on the new 911.
Rounding out the list of standard features for every 1999 911 Carrera sold
in the United States and Canada is a four-year (doubled from two), 50,000-mile
(80,000-kilometer) limited warranty.
Both the 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet models will arrive
in authorized North American Porsche dealership showrooms beginning in mid
April. Manufacturers' Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) begins at $65,030
($95,200 Canadian) for the Coupe and $74,460 ($109,000 Canadian) for the
Cabriolet.
*Not available in Canada
SOURCE Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
