09 Jun 05
So here are the good bits. The Carrera 4's rear arches are flared to the tune of an extra (total) 1.73 inches, so the car looks quite sensationally hunkered and butched. The four-wheel drive system adds just 50kg, so the performance isn't blunted. And this is still one of the greatest drives on offer, anywhere at any price. You hardly notice that front axle is there at all.
That's because when there's nothing very dramatic going on, the Porsche's viscous multiplate coupling is smart enough to send just 5% of the engine's drive power to the front wheels. But if you drive like a car thief over a tightly twisting Alpine road, the system delivers 40% of the drive to the front wheels. It's an odd feeling at first - on a tight corner where you'd expect, in a Carrera 2, the tail to slide gently wide for a bit of ala carte-oversteer, the Carrera 4's nose just pulls the car through like bull getting a yank on its nose ring. It's bloody effective, if slightly less engaging.
On maximum yell straights, the Carrera 4's performance remains hugely engaging. It's not stupid-fast, like a McLaren SLR or just about any big-engine AMG Merc, but it is still such a deliciously sensual experience that you'll want to do it all the time. For the record, the 325bhp C4 will reach 62mph in 5.1secs and a top speed of 174mph. The Carrera 4 S, with its 355bhp, does 4.8secs and 179mph respectively. Porsche's legendary test driver Walter Rohrl says the C4 is actually quicker around the Nurburgring than the C2 on account of its bigger rear tyres and superior traction. And in either car, that 3.6-litre flat-six remains the greatest engine on earth. So yes, you could say we like it.
