2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Before the much anticipated '991' 911 coupe has even touched British tarmac, Porsche have announced the new 911 Carrera convertible which starts from £79,947 and is on the road from March 2012.

Usually new convertibles in this day and age have very fancy and complicated folding metal roofs but supercar manufactures tend to stick to fabric roofs. Old fashioned I know but fabric roofs save weight and space compared to folded metal roofs which pretty much fill the boot and weigh more than a dining room table. In this case there's an engine in the boot so a fabric roof is pretty much the only choice Porsche have.

Speaking of engines there's a couple of flat 6 petrols to choose from for the Carrera Cabriolet. A 3.4L that produces 345bhp is fitted to the standard car and a 3.8L that produces 393bhp is fitted to the Carrera S, which costs £89,740. Both versions come with the new 7 speed manual gearbox introduced with the 911 coupe as standard and there's the option of the 7 speed PDK automatic 'box.

There's one issue I have with the new 911 in fact, all recent Porsches for that matter; the badges on the back. It's the unique and familiar shape and the shield on the front that do the job of telling everyone (even people not that into cars) you've got a Porsche. I can't understand the need to put a big PORSCHE badge on the back of all of them! OTT in my opinion.