Porsche’s roof tops them all

By Russ Bond

Have you ever notice how convertibles with conventional soft tops rarely look like their hard top counterparts? That is because the roof has a framework that has to be collapsed so the top can open.
So while most convertibles look great with the top down, they can look a little clumsy – that is being polite – with the top up.
Porsche has set out to change that. With the recently unveiled 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet, the company claims the model will boast the same sleek profile with its soft top in place as its hardtop twin for the first time in the vehicle’s history.
This is all thanks to a unique roof mechanism. The vehicle blends the aluminum and steel chassis of the standard 911 with a folding top manufactured from a slew of lightweight materials, including canvas magnesium and advanced high-strength steel to keep weight as low as possible.
The key here is the ‘canvas magnesium’. It actually replaces the normal metal frame that forms the top of the roof. Now, Porsche has engineered it to be like a sheet, or canvas, which gives it the same profile as the solid top on the other models, which, funnily enough, makes it look like a Porsche.
It’s an ingenious system that will make even the purists of the Porsche 911 shape take notice.
How it works is that the retraction mechanism uses the structure to grab the sheet – top – and lay it into the back without actually collapsing it like some conventional soft tops.
The benefit to you, the Porsche customer, is now you can have the iconic – complete – look of the 911 in Cabriolet form, and have the latest in soft top technology at the push of a button.
In addition, because of the top’s light weight, you will also see other benefits. You see, engineers – especially German ones – like to have the car’s weight as low as possible to lower the center of gravity. The lower the center of gravity, the better a car handles. Previously, there was a lot of weight in soft tops (especially electronic retractable ones), which served to raise the center of gravity. Also, keep in when the top was retracted, the weight moved toward the back, throwing off the car’s balance. With a lighter top, there is less weight to be moved so the balance of the car is preserved whether the top is up or down.
That is a win, win, win situation for Porsche.

Tags: 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet, Porsche