he 996 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is the convertible version of the slightly-uprated 996 Carrera 4. Introduced a year after the 996 C4S Coupe, it is also mechanically similar to the standard Carrera 4 with a naturally-aspirated M96 and all-wheel drive. However, the Carrerra 4S Cabriolet used the wider bodyshell of the 996 Turbo for a more aggressive look and it uses a stiffer suspension which led to better handling. Available between 2003 and 2004, a total of 5,757 Porsche 996 Carrera 4S Cabriolets were produced. The 996 C4S family were replaced by the 997.1 Carrera 4S for model year 2006.
In 2002, the entire generation of the Porsche 911 – 996 was facelifted. The Carrera 4S Cabriolet was introduced in the lineup with the new engine and the Turbo bodywork. There were not too many all-wheel-drive convertibles in 2002, and for sure there were only a few that could boast up to 320 hp. The Carrera 4S, introduced for the first time in 2002, was launched to fill the gap between the regular Carrera 4 and the Turbo.
From the outside, the Carrera 4 S Cabriolet featured the same front bumper as the Turbo. The rear wide fenders looked almost the same, except the side air-intakes, which were not needed. The sloped back of the car was fitted with the same self-adjusting spoiler, that could deploy or retract depending on the speed. The three-layer canvas-top was powered and it needed 20 seconds to completely retract or cover the car, at speeds up to 50 kph (31 mph). For winter, the car featured an aluminum hard-top.
