European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 27, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13 fast versatile a us All wheel drive car Corner porsche Carrera 4 strictly Superb when the All wheel drive porsche Carrera 4 arrived on world markets in the Spring of 1989, it was heralded by the automotive press As the a Best 911 of  some even called it a the Best car in the  but when the rear wheel drive 911 Carrera 2 arrived a year later Many critics hailed this one As even better. So porsche followed one great car with another a quite an achievement. Both Are super sports cars in every respect and it was our pleasure to drive both of them recently on extended test sessions. Well Start today with the Carrera 4 Coupe then follow in next weeks car Comer with the Carrera 2 Coupe. Targa and convertible versions Are also available. While a new porsche 911 Carrera 4 or Carrera 2 Are beyond the financial Means of Many sports car fans we still see them As vitally important automobiles a a dream cars to put it mildly. A strictly thoroughbred sports car Marque porsche has always enjoyed a Large american following. An excellent example in Europe is the porsche club of America Germany Region. An extremely Active organization of american porsche car owners the club entered its 28th year of activity just this month. Now lets look at the porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe an All wheel drive sports machine that a begs to be driven a As a Lucky owner we know put it. And he was putting it right because the Carrera 4, with its 250 horsepower Flat six engine can be driven As fast and As hard As ones abilities permit. With its All wheel drive setup it has what porsche Calls a Superb Road behaviour a and this is an understatement. The Carrera 4 clings to the Road in amazing fashion never feeling Light at High speeds but solid All the Way. We hit a top Speed of 164 Miles per hour 265 Kph and the car was absolutely steady. The same goes for Comers and turns. No matter How hard you push it the Carrera 4 Corners absolutely Flat. The All wheel drive system that works so effectively is based on the technology employed on the famous porsche 959, which won the Paris Dakar desert Mars amps rear spoiler atop engine cover rises automatically at 50 Mph and retracts at speeds below 10 Mali. Fourth gears Are highly flexible the third gear Range for instance As much at Home in the 18 Mph Mark As it is at 100. Even in fifth gear the Carrera pulled smoothly at 60 Mph. The flexibility of these gears makes for especially easy driving in heavy City traffic and Normal every Day driving situations. The 3.6-liter air cooled engine redline is 6,800uses two spark plugs at each of its six cylinders and it is the most powerful normally aspirated engine Ever used in a production 911 Model. It comes with a Metal catalytic converter for use in All countries and it uses Lead free fuel. The engine reaches its 250 he figure at 6,000 rpm and the torque rating is 310 Newton meters at 4,800 rpm. This is for the european version a a a a a which we drove. The  athon rally in 1986. So the Carrera 4�?Ts figures Are 247 he at 6,100 rpm and 228 All wheel Dave heritage is a distinguished left of torque at 4,800 rpm. Both . On. _ and european Carrera 4 versions Are 1 he car has incredible passing Power nearly identical. 1 it. Especially fascinating feature on both the Carrera 4 and Carrera 2 models is the rear spoiler a spoiler that you done to even see when the car is at a standstill. The spoiler automatically goes into action at about 50 Mph if you look in the Mirror you can see it Rise and it retracts at 10 Mph. When the spoiler is fully sex and acceleration and it took Only 5.6 seconds to zip from Zero to 62 Kph 60 Mph. In gears it was 40 Mph in first 68 m second 105 in third 136 in fourth and 164 Mph in fifth. The gearshift lever is Spring loaded making for lightning fast yet smooth changes. The Power bands on both third and tended the air intake surface for the engine compartment is nearly doubled. The spoiler is electrically extended or it can be engaged by a Button on the dash. The new 911 Carrera cars have a Strong resemblance to the old models at a glance there a Little difference in the classic shape but porsche says the new Carrera series is in fact 85 percent new. The new cars Are also far More aerodynamic a an 0.32 drag coefficient Reading compared to 0.39 for the previous line. The Carrera 4�?Ts All wheel drive system includes a porsche developed anti lock Brake system one that functions right to a standstill. Anti lock brakes by the Way Are Standard throughout the porsche Range. The Carrera 4�?Ts front suspension is fashioned by use of Macpherson struts lower a arms Coil Springs tube shocks and anti Roll bar while the rear features sem Trail ing arms Coil Springs tube shocks and anti Roll bar. The Power assist steering is by rack and Pinion while the Power assist brakes Are vented discs All around. The brakes Are outstanding As they must be for a High performance car like this one. The 16-Inch Light Alloy wheels feature enlarged openings to Aid in Brake Cooling. The tires Are of different sizes the test car fitted with japanese Bridges tone 205/55zrs at front and wider 225/50zrs porsche goal . Sales gain in 90 As noted in today a report on the porsche Carrera 4, one must have a a lot of Bucks in the Bank to entertain thoughts of buying a porsche sports car especially with the a entry level 924 Model no longer on the Market. For 1991, porsche cars North America has increased its prices for the first time in two years a the increases in the 2.8 to 3 percent Range. Porsche says the Price hikes Are due to higher production costs. Porsche whose sales have increased sharply in Europe since the beginning of the year has reported slow but steadily increasing sales in the United states. Hans Halbach porsche a vice president for sales and marketing Saiof during an interview this week that . Sales were up slightly at the end of july to make for a 2 percent increase Over the total at that period last year. He added that August sales were off slightly but that september a looks promising and we Hope that by the end of december we will be ahead of our 1989  Well publish our interview with Halbach in next weeks car Comer along with our review of the Carrera 2 could this car equipped with porsche a revolutionary new tip tronic automatic transmission. This transmission was developed primarily for the american Market. Military forces in Europe May order new  cars tax free from porsche dealers in Germany with 14 models available. Prices Range from $41,100 for the porsche 944 s2 could to $91,960 for the 911 Turbo. A . At the rear. Porsche says the tires arc attuned to the handling and to the 31/69 weight distribution of the All wheel drive car. And porsche got it right because ride handling and feel for the Road All Rale right at the top. The test car a 1991 Model largely unchanged from its �?T90 predecessor featured both Driver and passenger Side airbags and it created a lot of conversation where the color scheme was concerned. With a Black body and a Complete purple Interior a including the steering wheel a people either liked it or hated it. But it never went unnoticed. Inside the Driver sees Only the Road ahead of him and lies surrounded by everything needed for the Art of fast driving including a perfect Brake Gas pedal setup for Heel and toe use. The gauges arc big and easy to read there a climate control deep storage pockets on the door panels and Power seat adjustments for every possible driving position. To that add Power rear View mirrors and window lifts Central Locking am pm stereo anti theft system and a lot More. The Carrera 4 has two Small seats in the Back for children and the scat backs can be flipped Down to serve As Luggage platforms an excellent feature. There a also room under the Hood for a Large suitcase and other items so extended travel for two persons is no problem. Was there anything to criticize not really but we do wish porsche would put the ignition key Slot to the right of the wheel and then redesign the tape cassette Holder Box. Ever time our right Elbow hit it at least one of the four cassette boxes would Spring up. Other than that no complaints. Our fuel mileage figure came to 18.3 Miles per gallon quite Good we thought for a car with this ones performance. The Carrera 4 coup6 is available for order at porsche dealers in Germany the tax free Price being $69,270.�? Randy Barnett Auto columnist