Guys,
I personally do not not know the amount of horse power reduction for the new TT cab either but I have an educated guess as to the reason why they have reduced power...chassis rigidity.
The 996 Cabriolet is I think a little more than half as stiff (torsional rigidity) than the 996 Coupe. So when you corner a 996 Coupe hard and then repeat the identical move in a 996 Cabriolet, the coupe will of course handle better. Why? The suspension on the coupe does not move as much in the Cabriolet because the car frame (chassis) is much stiffer (caused by hacking the top off the car). That is why it is not the greatest idea to track your convertible car. Punishing a cabriolet hard like you would a coupe is also not good for the cabriolet chassis's durability either. The constant flexing of the chassis weakens it over time. You will notice this by how the car feels more "loose" than when it was new (i.e. sqweaks, rattles, steering shudder, etc.). So I am assuming that this relation will be the same for the 996 TT Coupe. Porsche realizes that with such great horsepower the 996TT Coupe's suspension, brakes, and chassis will receive much greater punishment in everyday driving (as well as track time) than the future 996 TT Cab chassis can take. So to keep forces down, Porsche keeps the power away from lead footed drivers so cornering and braking forces stay lower than in the 996 TT coupe. Well that is the theory anyway. Bottom line - Porsche wants these cars to last but still perform reasonably well. But do not worry, I think Porsche realizes that the 996 TT Cab has to be able to outrun the new Merc SL55. But...isn't Porsche creating the 996TT for people who want to pose rather than perform anyway to keep people from buying the SL55?!?
If you want all out performance and want to track your TT then by all means stay with the coupe! Especially with this new 20mm sport suspension that will offered in January 2003. Combine that with the X50 package and PCCB and you literally will have yourself a "Turbo S"!
Well, that is my 2 cents! But wow, this 996 TT Cab will be one hell of a Porsche!!
Regards,
Robbie