‘And so Rod Stewart – always a favourite of ours at Car Tales – opened his fourth solo album, Never a Dull Moment, with the soulful rocker True Blue.

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‘Except that when Rod, always a huge car fan, did end up with a Porsche, it was a 1977 green 911 Turbo Carrera, with its distinctly rear-of-the-vehicle engine. By this time he was clearly a convert to where a Porsche engine should sit. Though I never noticed any celebratory songs to this effect.

‘This piece of magic is a well-equipped 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet X50 6-Speed that is available in Silver Metallic with a black interior. And this X50 nomenclature: well, the thing about an X50 package is that it takes you almost to the moon and back – and at very high speeds! Just in case you thought your 911 TwinTurbo was not sufficiently oomphy, the optional X-50 Turbo Power Kit package pushes the horsepower to 450 and offers a modest 0-60 mph acceleration time of 3.9 seconds with a top speed a shade less than 190 mph. Astonishing, frankly!

‘And especially when vigorously shoved along by the 911 6-speed manual transmission, operated via an awesome beechwood-topped shifter. There is also the power-pack of a Flat 6 Cylinder 3.6-liter engine, automatic speed control, air conditioning, power mirrors, power windows, power steering, power seats (driver/passenger), roll bar, soft top, 4-wheel disc brakes, Porsche Twist wheels, and spare tire. This is an excellent and desirable convertible sports car that is mechanically sound.

‘The Type 996 Porsche introduced in 1998 represented two major changes for the new ancient-seeming 911 lineage: controversially to some enthusiasts, a water-cooled flat-6 engine replaced the popular air-cooled engine that har now used in the 911 for 34 years; and, visually significantly, there was a first major re-design to the body shell.

‘Like the GT3, the Turbo’s engine was derived from the engine used in the 911 GT1 and, like its predecessor, featured twin-turbos and now had a power output of 420 PS (309 kW; 414 hp). Also like its predecessor, the new Turbo was only available with all-wheel drive. In 2002, the X50 package was available that increased the engine output to 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp) with 620 N⋅m (457 lb⋅ft) of torque across a wide section of the power band.

‘So our 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet 6-Speed, with the most definitive addition of its X50 power pack, is an utterly terrific motor-car.

‘But what happened to Rod Stewart’s 1977 green 911 Turbo Carrera?

‘The singer did as he was told, handing them over. But as he and Kimberley, shocked, walked away, the thief ran after them. He couldn’t start the 911, he said, demanding Rod Stewart accompany him back to the vehicle. ’So at gunpoint,’ Rod Stewart said, ‘I had to walk out on a side street with a gun in my back and get in the car and start it for him. It started on a button.’

-Alex Manos, Owner