Get-Ad Free Access: Join Today!
The Porsche 911 Black Edition was a limited production Carrera built at the end of the 997 generation. Based on the 3.6-litre 997.2 Carrera coupe and Cabriolet, the car was finished in plain black as standard, with Basalt Black Metallic as an option. The words ‘Black Edition’ are printed in black on the stainless steel door sill covers, and there’s a numbered plaque on the glovebox lid. 19-inch Turbo wheels were standard. Porsche built exactly 1,911 Black Editions, of which approximately 25 percent were intended for the U.S. market.
The base Carrera has essentially the same 3.6 L flat-6 engine that its predecessor, the Type 996 Carrera used, now good for 321 bhp @ 6800 rpm and with torque of 273 ft lbs @ 4250 rpm. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph is over in just 4.80 seconds and top speed is 177 mph. The quarter mile is over in a respectable 13.1 seconds. The 911 Carrera is now faster, more stable, more precise and forgiving, an altogether superior-make that more efficient-sports car than the 996.
The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet shares the same internal 997 model designation as its Coupe siblings. It also shares the same essential all-wheel-drive architecture, interior appointments, suspensions and drivetrains. It is an open-top sports cars that deliver the same exhilarating acceleration and dynamic response as the coupes, regardless of weather or road conditions. The Carrera 4 Cabriolet boast a unique body over their all-wheel-drive powertrains with a wide-body design.
The Carrera 4 Cabriolet was released with the rest of the 4 and 4S models as 2006 model year cars. With a sure-footed, four-wheel drive powertrain as well as that "wide-body" stance, and with tops that open or close at the touch of a button, the Carrera 4 Cabriolet really started to make the case it could do it all. The wide look gave the 4 a widened track, larger wheels and tires and four-wheel-drive powertrain that gives more dynamic stability, especially in inclement weather conditions. Developed at the same time as the coupe.
Most importantly, the refreshed Carrera 4 and 4S lose the old multi-plate, viscous all-wheel-drive system in favor of the electronically controlled system from the 911 Turbo. The old system could send between 5 and 40 percent of engine torque to the front wheels once it had detected wheelspin. The new electronic system can anticipate traction losses and shift up to 100 percent of engine torque fore or aft. Porsche says the new AWD system reacts faster to traction changes, and doesn’t make the Carrera 4 significantly heavier.
The 997 Carrera 4 was the all-wheel-drive version of the standard 997 Carrera and it arrived as a 2006 model year car (along with the 4S models). The 997.1 Carrera 4 had a3.6 L Watercooled Flat 6 (M96/05) engine that was good for 321 bhp @ 6800 rpm and 273 ft lbs @ 4250 rpm. It had a sub 5 second 0 - 60 mph hour time and a top speed of 174 mph. The transmission (six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic) feeds a forward propshaft that mates to a viscous coupling unit with a front differential.
The Cabriolet version of the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS is just as potent as its coupe sibling. It combines a 408 hp 3.8-litre flat six engine with intelligent all-wheel drive that delivers a further exhilarating dimension to the dynamics of the iconic rear-engined sports car. The 911 was first offered with four-wheel drive in 1989 and the drivetrain has been a popular option ever since. Now, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS broadens customer choice in 2011, building on the success of the two-wheel drive Carrera GTS that went on sale in December last year. Carrera 4 GTS power unit is the 3.8-litre flat six with power kit.
The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS combines a 408 hp 3.8-litre flat six engine with intelligent all-wheel drive that delivers a further exhilarating dimension to the dynamics of the iconic rear-engined sports car. The 911 was first offered with four-wheel drive in 1989 and the drivetrain has been a popular option ever since. Now, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS broadens customer choice in 2011, building on the success of the two-wheel drive Carrera GTS that went on sale in December last year. The 911 Carrera 4 GTS power unit has its origins in the 3.8-litre, six-cylinder from the Carrera S, with the power kit added.
In the case of the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet that begins with a larger, more potent six-cylinder engine. The Carrera 4S is powered by a 3.8-liter flat six that produces 355 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The roughly ten percent increase in power translates to improved acceleration and higher top track speed. The 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet with the six-speed manual gearbox races from a stop to 60 mph in only 4.7 seconds, topping out at the track at 185 mph. When carrying the optional Tiptronic S transmission, the zero to 60 mph sprint takes a mere 4.5 seconds.
While the 997 Carrera 4S coupe sold a healthy 15,056 units between 2006 and 2008, the equally exciting Carrera 4S Cabriolet sold 12,587 units, making it a pretty popular 997 model. The reason is pretty simple. It had a gorgeous wide-body stance, all-wheel drive traction and that potent 3.8 L Flat 6 that was good for 350 bhp and 295 ft lbs of torque. The first convertible 911 that was as good a performer as it coupe siblings with the added benefit of open top driving in the summer with the comfort of being a great daily driver all year round. 
For 2009, engine power is distributed to all four wheels via the same electronically controlled Porsche Traction Management system found previously only on the Porsche Turbo. The electronic controls respond to driving conditions even more instantaneously than the previously used hydraulically activated all-wheel drive system. The Carrera 4S model, with a 3.8-litre engine developing 355 bhp, can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 185 mph.