Porsche 911 Cabriolet 2005 - Present

The evolution of the 911 is more organic than many other cars, in that it's really not changed that much in appearance in the last 45 years. If you try to think of a car that's even been around that long you'll do well, but one that has changed so little is pretty well unique. The reason is undoubtedly that the car was truly great in the first place.

All 911's sit low on the road, no doubt helping their incredible road holding. As you sit in the car you're immediately struck with how well the seats hold you. They are designed to hold you in place while the cars pace and handling exerts their force on your body, and this they do with aplomb. In the drivers seat all of the controls are logically laid out and well made. Porsche have always been at the more expensive end of the market and the materials that they use have always been of the best quality, the latest offering is no exception. The roof folds down in 20 seconds and features a glass rear window which just adds to the feeling of quality and solidity that the 911 offers. The rear seats can just about qualify as somewhere to sit, but not of you're over the age of about 3, it's the driver and one other adult really.

On the road is where the 911 yearns to be. There are two choices of engine a 3.6-litre flat-six engine producing 325bhp or the Carrera S has a 3.8-litre version producing 355bhp. They are both fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an optional five-speed automatic featuring steering wheel-mounted shift controls, if you don't want to take your hands off the wheel. They both hit 60 mph just over 6 seconds and the S has a 5 mph edge with a top end of 182 mph. The engine note is something of a muscular grunt and there really isn't an occasion where the 911 feels out of it's depth or in any way wanting. The car feels extremely solid and as you drive it seems to have it's own gravity that makes it hold the road tighter than the laws of physics would allow.

There is a good reason that evolution changes the things that it does and leaves others. It's all about whether or not something works. The 911 was a great car at it's launch in 1963, it's changed and evolved in the intervening years but only in the places that it's benefited and they are relatively few. The 911 has always been an icon and the newest model is only going to increase that legacy.

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