Wanted to hop on here to share the progress and changes that have been made to my 2015 Carrera Cabriolet since purchasing it right around the start of 2025 with approx 49k miles on the clock.

This is my first P car, and though I plan to hold onto it for a long while, I've also kept basically all of the original parts & components which have since been swapped out (in case I or the next owner ever eventually decide to go back to "factory"). I've also tried to choose modifications which still look/feel/perform as if they could’ve been OEM (or OEM+). I never aimed to intrinsically "change" the car -- I simply wanted to make it my own, and hopefully, a little better than how I found it. I've always admired the look of the S/C and S/T varieties of 911, which surely inspired a number of the particular updates and selections I've made throughout the build.

Now, it hasn't all been smooth sailing, so I've had some significant "learning" experiences along the way -- some of which were ultimately more costly than others (*a'chem* - swapping to deviated/colored seat belts in the rear of a 991 cabriolet - *a'chem*) -- but honestly, at the end of the day, I'm really happy and incredibly proud with the car I now have. While my tastes of course won't always necessarily line-up with everyone else's -- though, to be fair, no one's would -- at least for me, I think I've finally gotten to the point where I feel like this car is about as good as an 11+ year old base PDK 991.1 convertible can reasonably get (without dropping another $25k or so into it to add a supercharger, upgraded headers, and a few other performance mods...maybe someday).

Most of my mods were simply cosmetic, so this has certainly not been a track build by any stretch of the imagination, obviously. But, to be frank, I really don't think a base 991.1 C2 Cab would ever really the right type of car to start with for track aspirations anyway. What it absolutely is, though, is a hell of a lot of fun to take out on some back roads -- especially with the top down when the weather is nice here in Virginia -- and still comfortable enough that my wife doesn't complain about the ride (too much). Bottom line, this thing puts a big 'ole smile on my middle-aged face every time I look at it now, and at the end of the day, I feel like that's really the whole point of all this.

When the car got to me, it was honestly a bit rough, in my opinion. Swirl marks all throughout the black paint. The (ultra common) dreaded tear along the seam of the 991 cloth convertible top. A limo-dark tint all the way around which simply wasn't my personal style. Pretty noticeable aging/cracking along the length of both tail lamp lenses. Wavy, delaminated interior door cards. Gloss black 19” aftermarket wheels. A few unsightly rock chips and dings from highway driving. And brake calipers which the previous owner had painted a very incorrect shade of yellow with the Porsche emblem added (improperly) upside down upon.

Lots of little cosmetic issues like that and certain preferences which I wanted to address -- but mechanically, the car was obviously always very well maintained and in excellent condition (confirmed via our initial PPI).

Anyway, if you'd made it this far, then you're probably ready to see & hear about some of the actual updates, repairs, and mods completed -- so, without further adieu, here is what I believe to be a pretty exhaustive and up-to date list of those...

• 20" OEM Carrera S Wheel & Tire Pkg
• 5mm + 10mm Wheel Spacers and Extended Lug Nuts
• GAHH Replacement Cabriolet Top
• OEM Replacement LED Tail Lights
• 992.1-Style Matrix LED Headlights
• Interior Door Card De-lamination Repair
• OEM Sport Front Lip Spoiler
• Chstek Wireless Apple CarPlay Headunit Retrofit
• OEM "Modern Pepita" Fabric seat inserts from ClassicFX
• Matte Black OEM Porsche 911 Rear Deck Emblems
• OEM Clear/Euro LED Side Markers
• OEM Black Headlight Washer Caps
• 991.2 Style Steering Wheel + Airbag Replacement (which unfortunately resulted in the purchase of a new clock spring as well)
• Rear Deck Ducktail Spoiler
• OEM GT4RS PDK Shift **** and Leather Boot
• 17-Gallon Tote / "Frunk" Liner
• Kaizen Tall Cup Holder
• Seatbelt Re-Webbing to Racing Yellow by Safety ReStore (absolute **** show to perform on the rear seats of a 991 cab, so I've learned)
• Replacement of Vanity Mirror Cover (Driver's Side)
• Dash Cam
• Venoxy White Gauge Set
• Racing Dynamics Gloss Black Exhaust Tips
• White Sport Chrono Stopwatch/Clock
• S/T Classic Logo Style Vinyl Door Decals (you may need to zoom in a bit to notice in the photos)
• Emc2design Side Skirts
• Paintless Dent Removal
• Rear Bumper Re-Spray
• OEM Center Console Lid with Crest
• Brake Caliper Re-spray (Speed Yellow)
• Fabspeed X-Pipe Center Muffler Delete
• OEM Replacement Upper Left (Driver's) Seat Cushion Cover
• Replacement Window Switch (Passenger Side)
• Re-Spray of Front Bumper
• 2-Stage Paint Correction
• Xpel PPF Installation on Front Bumper
• 7yr Ceramic Coating
• H&R Lowering Springs + Full Geometry Alignment

I'm probably forgetting a few things by now, but regardless, it’s been quite a bit. In any event, thanks to everyone here who has helped me along this journey, and to all of you here for allowing me to share!

 

And just in case any of you were interested in a few "before" or "during" photos...

 

Instead of all that, I would recommend a 4.5L conversion from Deman.

 

Great build looks great! Can you comment on the installation of the GAHH Replacement Cabriolet Top as to how difficult it was to install and how happy you are with it? I believe this will be in my future.

 

Installing the replacement cloth top is really not a DIY job. My local dealer recommended the upholstery specialist that THEY actually use for that task (Lim’s Upholstery in Chantilly, VA), so I went to them directly.

if I recall, it should be about $1500 or so for that install at most reputable shops (plus the $2500 replacement top itself from GAHH, of course).

With regards to the quality of the GAHH product itself, it’s OEM+, and essentially identical in appearance to my original. Highly recommended.

 

I lot of work and money but a VERY nice result!!!!

 

Many subtle changes with the result being a changed car. Very nicely done!

 

Thanks so much!

 

Appreciate it! Def now feels like a situation where the sum has finally become greater than all of the individual changes on their own.

 

very nicely done

car looks mega

 

Thanks so much for the positive feedback!!

 

Very nicely done! I love the OEM 20" CS wheels, but with a base coupe without PASM was afraid 20" would be too rough a ride; what's your experience?

Also, had not seen a pepita insert done on the 14 way seats before. Love it too. Was it difficult to achieve and does Classic FX offer replacement cushions or did you have yours recovered?

Brad

 

Thanks, Brad!

Keep in mind I’ve also been riding on K&H springs for a while now rather than stock base suspension, but honestly, the ride quality seems totally negligible to me between my 19” and 20” wheels. Personally, I also much prefer the aesthetic of the 20’s on a 991.

With regards to the seat inserts, they were made from the OEM Modern Pepita fabric (same exact fabric used on the 2014 50th Anniversary edition 911’s). While Classic FX does offer pre-covered cushions for the carbon bucket seats, they don’t sell anything like that for other Porsche seating configurations. So, I think I purchased about 3.5 meters of that fabric from Gary.

Once the fabric landed here from Europe, I had Lim’s Upholstery in Chantilly, VA, create/install my inserts in place of the original black leather.

I am really happy with the way they came out, and feel like they basically just look like a special factory spec option. Lim's lived up to their excellent reputation and did a phenomenal job.

That’s def been the one cosmetic mod which has made the most impact, in my opinion.

Thanks again for the kind words!