Porsche's birthday present

The new open-top versions of the Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S will go on sale in New Zealand this year.

Two anniversaries are celebrated with two sporty new models

Fifty years after the Porsche 911 made its debut, and to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 911 turbo, the open-top versions of the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S will be revealed at the Los Angeles auto show on November 20.

The new 911s go on sale in New Zealand this year, and customer deliveries will start in late April next year. Porsche NZ boss Greg Clarke says prices will be announced closer to the launch date.

The turbocharged 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine delivers 383 kW in the open-top 911 Turbo and 412 kW in the S model.

The cars accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.5 and 3.2 seconds respectively, reaching a top speed of up to 318km/h. And all this while achieving fuel consumption figures just below the magical 10-litre ceiling - 9.9l/100km (equivalent to 231g/km CO2) for both cars.

The new generation cars are 0.2 seconds faster than the the previous 911 Turbo and Turbo S Cabriolet models in terms of their standard acceleration and are 15 per cent more efficient.

Active rear-axle steering and active aerodynamics give improved dynamism.

The widely flared rear haunches of the new 911 Turbo generation are 28 mm wider than those of the 911 Carrera 4 models.

A virtually level surface of just over a hand's width extends out from the C-pillar to the outer edge of the vehicle.

The 911 Turbo Cabriolet also has the Porsche panel bow top with its lightweight magnesium frame. This enables the Cabriolet to look exactly like its Coupe sibling when the top is closed.

The interior of the new Cabriolet models follows that of the 911 Turbo Coupe.

The S-model has an extensive range of features, including adaptive sport seats with 18-way adjustment and memory, backrest shells in leather trim with double cap seams, and carbon-fibre highlights.