First look: Porsche lifts the lid on 911

PORSCHE has taken the wraps off its striking 911 Cabriolet, the second derivative of the all-new 997 series after the coupe launched in October.

Set for international previews at Detroit, Geneva and elsewhere in the coming months, the 911 Cabriolet is due on sale in Australia next May in both standard and S form.

As with the coupe, that means a choice of either a 239kW/370Nm 3.596-litre six-cylinder boxer engine or a bored and stroked 261kW/400Nm 3.824-litre variant of the flat-six.

Both Cabriolet models are 85kg heavier than their respective fix-roofed counterparts, the basic version tipping the scales at 1480kg and the S at 1505kg.

The soft roof opens and closes automatically in 20 seconds, collapsing in Z-configuration within the roof compartment with the outer side of the roof facing to the top. The roof can be opened and closed while driving at a speed of up to 50km/h.

Both models have a drag coefficient of 0.29 and the same top speed as the coupe (285km/h). Acceleration from 0-100km/h is a claimed 5.2sec (manual) for the basic version and 4.9sec for the S.

Porsche is expected to release a new 911 variant every six months for the next couple of years, with the Cabriolet to be followed by GT3, Targa, Coupe 4 and Turbo versions of the 997 series.