Consider the 2009 911 a brand-new car, even though the basic structure remains essentially the same as the outgoing model's. Two entirely new and more powerful engines and a new twin-clutch automatic transmission are the major refinements to Porsche's 45-year-old model, but there's much more to the transformation than the powertrains.
Suspension, brakes, lighting, interior and exterior styling all were massaged for the Carrera and Carrera S, and the process has resulted in the best 911 yet. We drove both models on a drizzly day over autobahn and narrow German back roads, and all we could do at the end of the drive was shake our heads in admiration: They've done it again. They've built a better 911. Arriving at North American showrooms in September, the lineup is a base Carrera Coupe, outfitted with a 3.6L, 345-hp boxer six and mated to a revised six-speed manual, at $75,600. The base Cabriolet and Carrera S Coupe, which is powered by a 3.8L six with 385 hp, are both $86,200, while the Carrera S Cabriolet is $96,800.
Both models boast more power, bigger brakes, more athletic suspensions, and a clean and classic exterior rehabilitation, but arguably the most significant aspect of the oh-niners is Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (say PDK to avoid lingual strain), the new twin-clutch gearbox that replaces the generally unloved Tiptronic S.
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