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To celebrate 70 years of top-down Porsches, the 2023 911 GTS Cabriolet becomes a canvas for a very desirable America Edition.

Don't ever mistake the 911 GTS Cabriolet for being anything but a proper Porsche - and the 992-generation model delivers the best driving experience among all its predecessors. The new 992 is so refined, that it feels like more of a grand tourer with all the luxurious bits in the cabin of course. The one thing that hasn't changed - and we've got to thank the engineers for this - is the fact that it continues to be a fun car to drive.

The Cabriolet is 154 pounds heavier than the Coupe, and the roof folds up or down at speeds up to 30mph in just 12 seconds. But keeping all the specifics aside, the Cabriolet carries forth a lineage that started 70 years ago. And to celebrate the iconic roadsters that started the age of Porsche convertibles, the 2023 911 GTS Cabriolet gets a special "America Edition" treatment.

To celebrate 70 years of the 356 and 964 America Roadsters, the Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet becomes a canvas for a very desirable America Edition.

The 992, as it is, is heavier than the 991-generation model despite having an aluminum-intensive body. But most of the extra weight comes from the newly-developed PDK transmission, bigger alloy wheels, and a gasoline particulate filter incorporated in the exhaust. Being a convertible, additional rollover protection and strengthening were needed. Porsche recently unveiled a model specifically made for the U.S market, called the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet America.

It is said to start reaching dealerships later this year and draws inspiration from the open-top Porsches made in the 1950s: cars that were exclusively produced for the North American car market. This new "special edition" is based on the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, featuring the same chassis and powertrain. What's special, however, is its 7-speed manual gearbox, and cool throwback visual modifications.

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After the Porsche 356 was imported into the United States in 1950 by Max Hoffman, the model found a lot of fans. Three years later, the German sports carmaker introduced the 356 America Roadster. It came with a 1480cc, flat-four engine that made 70hp - and this was a significant bump-up in power compared to the previous 356 Porsches.

The model gave rise to the Speedster, which used the 356 Cabriolet's steel body. Porsche made only 16 units of the 356 America Roadster. The America Roadster was back again, in the early '90s - but this time, they used the idea on the 964-generation 911.

Again, the model comprised performance enhancements, and only 250 cars were made. The car featured a wide body, suspension, brakes, and 17-inch Porsche Cup wheels from the then-new 911 Turbo. The new 992-generation model has big shoes to fill.

On the outside, the 911 Cabriolet looks beautiful, but what's new is the Azureblue356 color that's been inspired by the 1953 Porsche 356 America Roadster. It also features RS Spyder design wheels in silver with a Guards Red pinstripe on the edge of the rim.

The inner part of the spokes gets a white finish. The lower half of the doors get white decals and Guards Red accents that read 'America', and the 911 Carrera badging on the back is finished in white, while the 'GTS' badge is finished, again, in Guards Red.

The interior gets cross-stitched in Guards Red with a Pebble Gray bordering throughout; it can even be seen on the upper half of the dashboard and the door panels. The armrest in the middle gets two-tone stitching in the same colors, and again, 'America' is embossed in the leather.

There are these beautifully illuminated door sill tread plates, reflecting the 70th anniversary of the 356 America Roadster. An optional interior package includes the same colors in the gear stick, seats, and steering wheel.

The 911 GTS Cabriolet America is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter flat-six making 480hp and 570Nm of torque. Porsche's Active Suspension Management Sport comes standard; this helps lower the ride height whilst adding helper springs to the rear axle. You even get Sport Exhaust and the Sport Chrono Package, while the additional options include Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and rear-axle steering.

Up-front, it gets cast-iron brake rotors with six-piston aluminum fixed calipers, and four-piston fixed aluminum calipers, finished in black, at the rear. Other standard features include seat belts in Guards Red, black leather on the inside, and an instrument cluster sporting white dials.

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With a color and graphics that make it stand out, it reminds us, to an extent, of the 991 911R. It, too, came exclusively with a manual gearbox, and stripes on the sides and the bonnet, and that was built in limited numbers too. Porsche has confirmed that the GTS Cabriolet America will be a limited-edition model, but the number of cars being manufactured hasn't been confirmed yet.

Rehan got published for the first time at the age of 17, having written a feature on a Triumph Herald in print. He uses his writing as a tool to express his fondness for all things automotive even today, aged 28. Collecting scale models is a hobby close to his heart, and he wishes to sprinkle pixie dust on them only to see them grow into full-sized cars. He now represents HotCars.com.