hi team,

I have had a 996 cab, and the roof is OK but not great. I'm wondering of the newer cabs, when was the best improvement in material or design? 991? 991 2? 992?

Cheers!

 

991 was a major improvement over the 996/997 version. There is no difference between .1 and .2 and the 992 by outward appearance seems identical. There is a magnesium metal shell underneath the canvas which gives it a much cleaner, smoother, more coupe-like look when closed. There's also the built in wind stop that deploys in a couple of seconds with the push of a button. I had a 997 and much prefer the 991 version for aesthetic reasons.

 

One more thing, the 991 version is less prone to the permanent creases that appear on the sides of the 997/996 top. Though there are still some creases, just not as prominent.

 

Ah OK, so it sounds like 991 much better than 996 and 997 and 992 improved again with the magnesium lining. I didn't like those creases!

 

No, to clarify, the 992 version appears identical to 991. The magnesium shell was introduced in the 991.

 

This is correct. I was test driving a bunch of 997.1 and .2 cabs and settled for n my 991.1 The top on the 991 maintains the look of the coupe and is actually quite quiet. Looks great and easy to maintain. From the inside when the top is up it is like a hardtop.

 

991.1 was the pinnacle of everything.

It was the last NA.
It was the last time a 911 was lighter than the previous Gen.
It was the only one to win Best Drivers Car; which it won twice.
It was the last 911 engineered to be a great sports car and not to kneel to commie regulations.
It was the first to have a retractable hard top.

 

I have had the 930, 997 ans currently have the 991 CAB. The 991 is, by far, the best of the bunch. Closed it is far more quieter and closes tight and has the closest "coupe" look without all of the rib "bends".
With thee top opened, it operates faster ans smoother that I remember the 997 did. Also, I like that the top can be operated while at low speeds, however I only like to operate my top on a level surface, parked with the brake on, mainly due to a top "frame breaking" event in my 930 CAB when I attempted to close the top on a slight curved hill.

 

If nothing else, the 991 cabriolet top is simply AMAZING because it keeps the classic 911 shape & silhouette.

 

It's pretty quiet when up as well.
Also, having had a Targa immediately before this car, I can say that the cab with the windows and windscreen up mimics the Targa experience pretty well as far as less wind and quieter to even talk with your passenger but the Targa can't come close to the full top down experience the cab provides.
It does have more creases than I would like for its age and amount of time top is up, but still have zero regrets. May keep this one long term. Waiting for my Soul exhaust/cats to be made and will install Numeric shifter at the same time. Probably a tune at some point but the base is just fine really.

 

Hi! Would anyone here know if I can use the 996 prefacelift cabrio roof in a 996 facelift? I see they have different part numbers but look very similar from outside and the obvious reason for asking is that mine is damaged and pre-2001 sets are half the price..

 

+1 although lets not mention the blindspots

 

+1. Or the shiny marks and frayed creases.

 

Off topic, but adding the SmartTop to the cab equation is a total game-changer. It is the single best mod I have made on my 991.1 GTS cab, by a wide margin.

 

Who do you think you are, Bob Z.?

DaveGee