Yahoo Autos 1993 Porsche 911 Speedster Road Test
From the September 1993 Issue of Car and Driver.
Here's a simple test to determine if you suffer from attention-deficit disorder. Okay, you're still reading. That's a good sign. But you still might have the other attention-deficit disorder, the one where no one notices you or listens to you, no matter what.
Is there a cure? You could try eating a plane. But the Guinness Book of World Records says it's already been done.
One Michel Lotito of France (called Monsieur Mangetout, of course) regularly consumes pieces of bicycles and supermarket carts, plus the occasional Cessna.
If you're aching for public adoration and you've got $70,838-here's a way to turn yourself into an instant celebrity. Simply drive out of the local Porsche purveyor's lot in a Speedster. Necks will strain. Strangers will shout encouraging obscenities. Scout's honor.
Okay, fine. Once your exhibitionistic urge is satisfied, you'll need to bring the leadfoot urge under control, because, short of the scorching 3.6 Turbo, no Porsche is more satisfying underfoot than the Speedster. This agile drop top is even more lightfooted than other Carreras. Think of Mazda's new lightweight RX-7 and Porsche's own RS America and you won't be far off the mark.
Because it's derived from the Carrera 2, the Speedster feels familiar. It zips along with the stock 247-horsepower 3.6-liter flat six-the one that sounds like the entire Nirvana entourage beating on thick-gauge steel with ball-peen hammers. This racket can be summoned with either the five-speed manual box of our test car or the optional semiautomatic Tiptronic. Brisk acceleration (60 mph is yours in only 5.0 seconds) and a 158-mph top end come as no surprise to Porschephiles.
Nor will the tail-heavy handling. Like all 911s, the Speedster does not indulge an immoderate foot on the gas. Slamming the throttle open unleashes a festival of torque, accompanied by heavy understeer, but lifting in mid-corner can snap the tail around like a military salute. Mind you, today's 911 s are much less inclined to wheel around unexpectedly than previous generations, but the tendency can still catch the uninitiated off-guard.
Its razor-edged performance envelope does include some neat and easy tricks, however. On smooth highways, it tracks perfectly (though in the rough, the variable-assist steering sometimes kicks back). Brakes are of the no-fade variety, and stabbing them brings the Speedster to a standstill from 70 mph in just 161 feet. Turbolook seventeen-inch wheels shod with Pirelli P700-Z tires (255/40ZR-17s in the back and 205/50ZR-17s up front) provide enough grip for 0.87 g of lateral acceleration. Dual airbags and anti-lock braking are standard, as on all Porsches.
Aside from handling, the Speedster has few other riddles to solve. Beneath waist-deep paint applied to both the body and the wheels is a basic 911 pared to the bone. Most accessories that aren't manually adjusted have been chucked in the wastebasket, save power windows and the electrically activated whaletail spoiler. The side windows have shrunk, the windshield is smaller, and a double-humped composite plastic lid fits behind the headrests. This dromedary add-on covers what used to be the rear seats, now turned into carpeted luggage areas.
