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2004 Porsche Turbo Cabriolet Road Test

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The Perfect Sports Car Loses Its Head

Talk about disappointed! I got home from a recent trip to Los Angeles only to find the Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet I had Shawn pick up in my absence was equipped with an automatic. Not to say theres anything wrong with Porsches 5-speed Tiptronic gearbox, that also features thumb actuated steering wheel controls, but I would have much rather have had a 6-speed manual.

OK, here I am whining about the fact that I just spent a week in a $130,000 plus (with options) exotic sports car that most car enthusiasts would gratefully accept no matter which drivetrain it featured. Sorry for the spoilt brat ranting, Ill keep my thoughts on this subject to myself from now on.

The excitement of test driving a Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet was briefly tempered by the fact that it was an automatic. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) align="justify">The fact is... I hate to admit that I kind of liked it. Other than a slight hesitation off the line, the Tiptronic Turbo is amazingly fast and much more convenient during stop and go city driving. Its uniquely entertaining in its own right, requiring little effort to exact tremendous performance, shifting down fairly quickly and upshifting smoothly. Despite the jibes that your non-SL-owning friends will

Although I was quick to deny that Id bought a Porsche with an automatic to any passing admirer, the truth is I kind of liked it. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

no doubt heap upon you when you show up at the club driving a non-purist Porsche, you shouldnt be embarrassed. I was quicker to admit that it wasnt mine than I would have been if a manual was attached to the center console, however, making sure that parking lot gawkers knew clearly that I would never actually purchase a Porsche with an automatic transmission. Ha, the silly stigmas Porschephiles carry around with them.

But why should I be embarrassed? Even with the autobox the Turbo will sprint away from just

Even with the autobox the Turbo will sprint away from just about anything else on the road like its standing still. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

about anything else on the road like its standing still. Speaking of embarrassed, I did just that more times than I care to admit, reaching legal speeds at a ridiculously rapid rate. I presume that the manually-equipped Turbo corners as well as the auto-equipped version does, being that it easily felt as secure as the 6-speed manual-fitted C4S Cab I tested a few months ago, both tackling the hairpins on the way up to the ski resort behind my home with uncanny adhesion. The Turbo, of course, shortened the straights in between substantially; once again causing more embarrassment as the schoolboy giggles overcame my normally composed self, now caught up in a shamelessly

The stock 911 Turbo puts 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque down to all four wheels. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

immature act of "just-got-my-license-so-look-at-me" abandon. Thankfully theres virtually no one on this road this time of year, which makes for a safe test track.

By the way, the stock 911 Turbo puts 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque down to all four wheels, which is ample for most speed freaks. Just the same Porsche offers an engine upgrade that I tested in a previous review dubbed the X50 package, which ups power to 450 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. This was more than enough, although Asgar Virji, the local RUF dealer, sent me an email after reading my review telling me that if I think the X50 is fast, I should try one of his RUF Porsches. OK, I said. Expect a road test on the RUF in the near future. Nevertheless, Im not about to complain again. The stock Turbo

While the interior isnt really spectacular, its on par with the Corvette or Viper. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

is still plenty fast, despite new more powerful super-models coming from Mercedes-Benz, the SL55 and SL65, as well as much less expensive domestic offerings such as the new 2005 Corvette that comes stock with 400 horsepower and, of course, the all-powerful Viper SRT-10.