Exploring Italy's Dolomites in a "992" 911 Carrera Cabriolet

"Che bella, Che bella!!", I could hear from an Italian woman, throwing admiring glances at our agate grey metallic 911 as we pulled out of a parking lot. And boy was she right about that. What a looker the current generation 911 is. Even in convertible form with the slight hump at the back it still looks absolutely gorgeous. The clean and simple design, the wonderfully flowing lines, the wide stance, it all just works in perfect harmony. Yes it has become a fairly big car, but I still believe Porsche managed to keep what makes a 911 look like a 911, and successfully carried its design over into the 2020s. Besides, the color perfectly blended with the arguably even more stunning scenery around it, despite - funnily enough - not being Porsche's dolomite silver metallic. Porsche should strongly consider renaming certain colors in their color palette.

Now that we have the looks out of the way, let's dig into the drive itself. It actually started by crossing over the "Stallersattel" from Austria into Italy. It's a very peculiar pass, characterized by its traffic light - controlled "one way only" traffic routing. Quite an event on its own. We then passed through the beautiful valley of Anterselva, went on south past Brunico until we made our way towards Corvara, the de-facto northern entry to the famous "Sella Ronda". The "Sella Ronda" is a must-drive round trip around the famous Sella mountain range. It offers marvelous scenery, combined with some of the best driving roads in Europe.

Passo Gardena

Passo Gardena

First takeaways from the car so far: It not only leaves a proper impression from the outside, but from the inside too. This has to be one of the most tastefully made car interiors in recent history. It resembles the perfect blend of classic elements with modern features. It all comes together as a fantastically well rounded package. Everything you look at and touch feels high grade and well made. From the steering wheel, to the beautiful analogue rev counter, to the climate controls. It is exactly what you hope it would be on a sports car in this price bracket. I don't even mind the shaver-style gearlever in the center console, even though that is probably the only thing I would swap in favor of a more classical one. Ideally for one you can change gears with, when in manual shift mode. Like they had on 991s. Sometimes going back is making a step forward.

Taking off, and getting acclimatized is super easy. It is just so well behaved, and everything falls into your hands. The ergonomics are spot on. Best not only in its class, but in the whole industry. You instantly get the level of trust you need to push a little harder without much hesitation.

What is it like when you pick up the pace? Pretty unflappable to be honest. There is hardly any chassis flex detectable, despite not having a fixed roof. Turn in is crisp and precise, although not super-direct and sharp compared to machinery like the current M3. Grip is available in abundance. The chassis stays wonderfully flat and composed all the time, not being deflected by any sort of road imperfection. The sheer quality of the chassis setup and dampening became blatantly apparent when I went up the exact same piece of road in my BMW M235i. A quite sobering experience to be honest, feeling my car bounce and skip around at places where the Porsche was miles apart from being unsettled. What is noticeable however, how wide the current gen 911 has become. It doesn't exactly feel super-nimble and delicate anymore. It's more like a grown up sports car with now clearly more emphasis on comfort and livability than ever, but with a very sweet fluidity going down the road.

What about Engine and Gearbox? In "standard" Carrera guise, its 3.0l turbocharged flat-six now produces 385PS and is mated with the newest 8 speed PDK or 7 speed manual transmission. Mine had the PDK and it was slick and sharp when needed, and pretty much undetectable during laid-back driving. The engine itself delivers more than enough poke to propel even the heavier convertible up to alarming speeds at the blink of an eye. I'm honestly wondering why one would need the "S", "GTS" or even the "Turbo" version. And that comes from a power-addicted petrolhead like me. It's also nicely responsive for a turbocharged engine, and has real zip in the upper echelons of the rev range. The soundtrack it emits is an interesting one. At lower revs and loads it is very quiet, but still manages to resemble flashes of vintage Porsche flat six characteristics. Though, overall it sounds a bit "swooshy", and dare I say gruff and uninspiring during relaxed driving. My M235i with the M-Performance exhaust and HJS downpipe in comparison releases - despite also being turbocharged - much more musical and pleasing tones at comparable engine speeds. When you are on it however, it still delivers this heart-warming, trademark Porsche flat-six howl. Just a shame you only ever manage to get glimpses of it during brief acceleration stints.

As we went through Corvara, the Sella mountain range finally started presenting itself in the most spectacular way imaginable. The sheer dimensions of it are simply baffling. As you are winding your way up and down famous mountain passes like the "Passo Gardena", "Passo Sella", and "Passo Pordoi" you always have this jaw-dropping sight right next to you. Switchback after switchback, the Sella Ronda draws you in deeper and deeper, the further you go. It's a very unique experience and scenery, incomparable to anything I have ever seen anywhere around our beautiful planet. The various, distinct formations seem out of this world. It all feels like a time-travel right into the ages of the Dinosaurs. T-Rex could be waiting right around the next corner. However, during summertime, especially on a sunny day there is one big caveat. The roads, as nicely flowing and scenic as they are, are equally paved with cars, motorcycles and bikes. So it's best to switch into "relax" mode and just focus on enjoying the surroundings. The 911 again behaved flawlessly under these conditions, offering all the comfort and convenience you could want from a sportscar when taking it easy. We then went on past "Cortina d'Ampezzo", and capped off the drive with a visit of the charming and beautiful "Lago di Misurina". The lake offers stunning views of the "Tre Cime di Lavaredo".

What a drive! Exploring one of the most breathtaking sceneries in Europe in Porsche's open air "hooning-device" was quite an event. It was also the perfect scenario to thoroughly test the 992 Cabriolet's breadth of ability. And an extraordinarily multilayered one it is. Overall, it is a hugely competent and accomplished car. As I still have a very vivid memory of driving the 991.2 GT3RS, this one was the perfect test of the 911 platform at the very other end of the spectrum. From full-bore racecar for the road, to alleged sunset cruiser. It is quite astounding how massive the gap between those two is. Whereas the RS has a very narrow operating window, in which it does everything to absolute perfection and precision, it's safe to say the base convertible is probably the most broadly talented of the range. Although it gets nowhere near the RS's dynamic capabilities and outright thrills, it still offers bucket loads of precision, composure, and punch to qualify as a top tier sportscar. Yes, it has lost some of the edges and rawness, but it is a car honed to such perfection, that it never ever seems to put a foot wrong, and still manages to excite and impress. With the added level of grand touring prowess, plus the possibility to open up to the sky above you, this definitely was the perfect piece of kit for the trip.

Obersee - Stallersattel

Obersee - Stallersattel

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