This text was not translated, because it is originally in English
Way back in 1975 I attended my first ever new-car launch in the U. S. when I was lucky enough to test drive the then all-new 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo with its 260 bhp 3. 0-liter air-cooled flat-six engine.

We journalists were allowed to drive the car flat out for a few of laps around the TRC test track in Ohio. I managed to average 149 mph for two laps on the seven-mile oval, which is still the fastest I have ever driven a car. Its worth considering that there were few people who had lapped at over 150 mph on a race track at that time.

Naturally I was mightily impressed by the capabilities of the 911 Turbo.

Fast forward to 2011. I have just spent a few days driving the latest Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet and I am still impressed.

In many ways my wife summed it up best: I love the car – its fast, its smooth, the steering is great, it handles well, its easy to drive and its fast.

I have to agree with her. I was even more than happy with the seven-speed PDK transmission instead of a manual. It works so smoothly and quickly that it is — sad to say — a worthy alternative even for those who enjoy manual shifting.

Rightly or wrongly Porsche 911s have not been regarded as a true super car, yet the 2011 911 Turbo really reaches that pinnacle as it has a top speed approaching 200 mph and can reach 60 mph in a shade over 3 seconds. Whichever way you look at it this is supercar territory.

On the other hand the 911 Turbo costs considerably less and its 500 horsepower, 3. 8-liter flat-6 engine manages to return a very acceptable highway fuel economy figure of 24 mpg. Raw figures suggest it is the super car for those who care about stats.

Granted the 911 Turbo does not turn heads in the same way as the Lamborghini Gallardo or the Ferrari 458 Italia I drove recently but – bottom line — the 911 Turbo Cabriolet is a much more sensible proposition if you really care about pure performance and driving rather than attracting attention. Among supercars it is a true bargain at just $161,085 as tested, extras included.