FIRST DRIVE PORSCHE 911 GTS CABRIOLET and CAYMAN R:The two new models from Porsche are brawny triumphs, just don't expect to buy one in the Republic, writes PADDY COMYN
There are good days and bad days in any line of work, but when you get off a flight to be met by a smiling English gentleman who hands you the keys to a black Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet, then it has to be marked down in the good section.
There isn’t much call for Porsche in Ireland at the moment. A total of two new Porsche have been registered in Ireland so far in 2011, although that’s a 100 per cent improvement on last year’s total.
Since the closure of Belgard Porsche in 2009 there hasn’t been an official Porsche retailer in the State, and all new car sales are handled by Porsche Centre Belfast. Joe Duffy Motors in Dublin has since been appointed as an official Porsche service centre, but at the moment there are no plans to retail new cars from this outlet just yet.
So the chances of there being a queue for the £85,249 (about € 165,000 if you theoretically decided to bring one in) are pretty slim, but then for the two winners of last weekend’s lottery it would be small change.
So what if they did decide to indulge themselves? How would they find the new 911 GTS? This latest member of the 911 family uses a 408hp 3.8-litre flat six engine that has been tuned to produce 23 more horsepower than the Carrera S.
It has the 44mm wider body of the Carrera 4 models and this includes a wider rear track. It comes with a sports exhaust that produces a sound not unlike a doberman with laryngitis. Ferocious, snarling, loud and angry. My car, a convertible, was painted black, with centre-locking RS Spyder wheels (in black) and a black interior.
Pulling out of the scenic environs of Birmingham airport and between speed cameras, the car snarled, fizzed and kicked out its rear end to my final destination in the most delightful way. Yes, the ride is ridiculously hard with every bump and lump in the road feeling like a crater.
The next day saw the sun shine and the roof removed on the drive to Silverstone. I hate Porsche 911 Convertibles: I think it is just wrong to remove the roof on a 911, but it does give you the chance to hear that exhaust at full chat, and it is astonishing. What a sound.
Porsche has a test centre at Silverstone where customers can come and have coffee, browse leather materials, decide whether they want ceramic brakes, and more importantly drive their potential purchase on their specially designed track.
I was there to test out the firm’s new Cayman R, which is a Cayman S that has gone on a diet and yet gained more power.
There are suspension revision and the car sits 20mm lower than the Cayman S and if you buy it straight out of the box there won’t be air conditioning or a radio because these add non-essential weight. Luckily you don’t have to pay extra if you want them back.
This more radical version of the Cayman is all about performance and agility, not something we ever really thought the Cayman S was lacking.
Top speed is 282km/h and it will get to 100km/h in 5 seconds. Add the Sports exhaust and you have a car which, like the GTS, is as snarly as it is quick.
This is a more focused Cayman than before. Nice, but irrelevant for us at the moment. If you did want one, it would cost you about € 95,000.
Factfile
Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet
Engine3.8-litre, flat-six petrol
Power408hp at 7,300rpm
Torque420Nm at 4,200rpm
TransmissionSix-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Body styleCabriolet
CO2 emissions228g/km
Tax bandG
Combined economy10.3 litres/ 100km (27.7 mpg)
Top speed306km/h
0-100km/h5.0 seconds
Price Approximately€165,000 in Ireland
Porsche Cayman R
Engine3.4-litre, mid-mounted flat-six petrol
Power330hp at 7,400rpm
Torque370Nm at 4,750rpm
Transmissionsix-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Body stylethree-door coupé
CO2 emissions228g/km
Tax bandG
Combined economy9.7 litres/ 100km (29.1mpg)
Top speed282km/h
0-100km/h4.8 seconds
PriceApproximately €95,000 in Ireland