It can be difficult to wade through the myriad iterations of the modern Porsche 911.

Only the most passionate enthusiasts can endure the various Carreras, “S’s,” “RS’s,” GT2s, GT3s, and Turbos—and the insider nomenclature involving lots of 9s. That’s not even including such historic, and current non-911 Porsche sports car models as the 914, 718, 928, and 944.

Here, though, is one model you need to know in time for summer weather and the inevitable lust it stirs for the open road: the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. (Cabriolet is car-talk for convertible.)

If you want a seat at any car-talk table, you must be able to reference the 911 Turbo, the most powerful (save for the 911 GT2 RS) strain of cars in the 991 line, which is the internal designation for the seventh-generation Porsche 911 sports car. The turbos are the granddaddies of the Porsche 911 family, madly desired since their introduction in 1974. They came close on the heels of BMW’s 2002 Turbo, which was the first street-legal sports car with then-newfangled turbocharging technology. The 911 Turbos have been setting the pace ever since.

High Price, High Reward
Today, the 911 Turbos are faster than the standard-issue Carreras and more elegant and polished than the track-oriented GT3s. (Those are nigh impossible to get your hands on, anyway.)

Last week in New York, I tested the Cabriolet version of the 911 Turbo S and found myself looking for more excuses to hop into it than I do my favorite pair of jeans. With its open top, it’s more inviting than the coupe version—and happier, too. Aren’t convertibles always happier cars? You are more present when you drive, veritably attacked by fresh air and sunshine.

You’ll certainly have to pay for such a prize: These bliss machines start at $203,000. The one I drove topped out at more than $205,000, which included some seasonally appropriate cooling ventilation in the seats (sweat proofing, basically) and a lane-change-assist system that honestly, I could have done without.

That price tag approaches items from McLaren, even Ferrari and Lamborghini. Then again, with a zero-60mph time of 2.9 seconds and a 205mph top speed, so do the specs. Is the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet the center of the Venn diagram among comfort/performance/cabriolet, converging in one expensive vehicle? Very possibly. For anyone considering an accessible 911 that will genuinely push the boundaries of your driving capabilities, it’s worth a hard look. And no, you won’t find “turbo delay” here.

Happy on any Surface
The 911 T S Cabriolet is noticeably more comfortable to drive on a daily basis under disparate conditions than many of its high-priced competitors. That’s not solely thanks to its four drive modes or the optional lift package that allows for an additional 1.5 inches of clearance, although these do much to smooth what might otherwise be anxious nerves at driving such a high-performing car on a daily basis.

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