Turbo Cabrios unveiled

The highest price you can pay for a series-production Porsche is now as close to £150,000 as will make no difference to someone rich enough to buy one. Porsche has just released details of the cabriolet versions of the new 911 Turbo and Turbo S, the latter retailing for £149,511 when sales start in the UK at the end of the year, positioning it ahead of the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and putting it on a collision course with the 12-cylinder version of Bentley’s Continental GTC.

It is also more than twice the price of a standard 911 Carrera.

Like their coupé siblings, the Turbo and Turbo S cabrios feature 513 and 553bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo engines and a paddle-shift transmission. Their 0-62mph times of 3.5 and 3.2sec respectively are 0.1sec slower, reflecting the additional 75kg weight their roof mechanisms make them carry. At 1675kg, the Turbo S is now heavier than an entry-level BMW 5-series executive saloon. Top speeds of 197 and 195mph are, however, unchanged.

Andrew Frankel