PORSCHE'S 911 coupe has always been the consummate sports car, and last year's midlife makeover of the current iteration did nothing to blunt either its performance or the formidable reputation the 911 name has earned during almost 40 years in production. As part of the 2001 facelift, which included a bigger, more powerful boxer engine and fresh new interior and exterior styling from the flagship 911 Turbo, Porsche Cars Australia also chose to reintroduce the Carrera 4S - a top-end 911 that mimics the Turbo's tough, wide-bodied stance and also gets its seriously beefy wheels, brakes and clever-but-heavy four-wheel drive system. Replacing the Carrera 4 as the only non-Turbo four-wheel drive in the local 911 line-up, the C4S is therefore one of two things, depending on your perspective: a poor man's 911 Turbo or a bodykitted 911 C4. Either way, the sexy new C4S builds on Porsche's notoriety for top-shelf performance, handling, design and technology - even if it isn't the quickest car in the eight-model 911 range.