Convertible versus Coupe
04-08-2015, 04:04 PM
#62
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
One thing I didn't see mentioned in this thread yet, so I'll add another $0.01 worth of info...
The rear seats in the cabs actually have more vertical backrests if not slightly tipped forward in order to have space for the roof to go down behind the seats. If you have kids that will regularly be riding in the back seats, that might be a more important consideration than would otherwise normally come into play. When we were looking at a 997 for my wife, who uses hers as her DD, this was a major consideration. We looked at Cabs, Coupes, and Targas. The angle of the rear seat backrests eliminated the Cabs and the side profile of the Targa eliminated that one. She likes the aesthetics of the curve at the bottom corner of the window, as part of the classic shape, and the Targa comes to a sharp point here, maybe because the rear glass opening capability.
Although not all 911s, I'm lucky to have one of each Porsche top configuration with the targa of my 914, the convertible of my 928 Spyder, and the Coupe of my RUF C2S. All three are a little different, but all enjoyable in their own unique ways.
Regarding rigidity, I don't know whether Porsche does this or not, but since a Cab is certainly less rigid than a coupe, although the tubs and chassis are built the same, sometimes a softer spring or suspension rate is used on the Cabs to prevent cowl shake so the suspension absorbs any flex instead of the car chassis having to do it, which makes for a quieter and more enjoyable experience and where the less track focused opinions sometimes come from.
You can't go wrong with either - drive them both and see what you like. Sometimes it's hard to form an opinion on a short test drive. Hertz actually rents 911s, though they're the newer 991 cars, but you could potentially make a small investment on a rental over a weekend and get a good feel for what a cab or coupe would feel like, even though the 991 is a significantly different car in many ways from our beloved 997s - just an idea.
The rear seats in the cabs actually have more vertical backrests if not slightly tipped forward in order to have space for the roof to go down behind the seats. If you have kids that will regularly be riding in the back seats, that might be a more important consideration than would otherwise normally come into play. When we were looking at a 997 for my wife, who uses hers as her DD, this was a major consideration. We looked at Cabs, Coupes, and Targas. The angle of the rear seat backrests eliminated the Cabs and the side profile of the Targa eliminated that one. She likes the aesthetics of the curve at the bottom corner of the window, as part of the classic shape, and the Targa comes to a sharp point here, maybe because the rear glass opening capability.
Although not all 911s, I'm lucky to have one of each Porsche top configuration with the targa of my 914, the convertible of my 928 Spyder, and the Coupe of my RUF C2S. All three are a little different, but all enjoyable in their own unique ways.
Regarding rigidity, I don't know whether Porsche does this or not, but since a Cab is certainly less rigid than a coupe, although the tubs and chassis are built the same, sometimes a softer spring or suspension rate is used on the Cabs to prevent cowl shake so the suspension absorbs any flex instead of the car chassis having to do it, which makes for a quieter and more enjoyable experience and where the less track focused opinions sometimes come from.
You can't go wrong with either - drive them both and see what you like. Sometimes it's hard to form an opinion on a short test drive. Hertz actually rents 911s, though they're the newer 991 cars, but you could potentially make a small investment on a rental over a weekend and get a good feel for what a cab or coupe would feel like, even though the 991 is a significantly different car in many ways from our beloved 997s - just an idea.