Minneapolis Street Sighting: Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet

This is my final red Porsche in the series, for two main reasons. First, it's the last red 1980s example I have, (okay, this one is probably a 1990s example), and last, this 944 convertible marks the end of the 944 right before the switch to the 968. Ironically, as the car got newer (the 924, then the 944) this 944 convertible is in really nice shape. The paint is completely shiny and road-grime free. Again, unlike the first two examples I blogged, this particular car's wheels are in great shape, with no evidence of a half-assed repaint. Good, because honestly these wheels would look horrible in anything other than factory-issue colors. What's funny, is VW "tuners" pick these wheels as ones they'd like on their cars. And what do they do? They spray them in ridiculous colors and mount them up. It looks awful. Thankfully, this 944 owner had way more sense than that.
While the 944 Turbo cabriolet is extremely rare (only 100 were sent here), the S2 is quite a bit more common, though not exactly an everyday sighting. Because of the cost of maintenance of 944s, and the scarce availability of reproduction top pieces and mechanisms, the number of survivor cabrios is fairly low. Out of 100 cars sent to the UK, it is estimated than 11 survive today. While I'm not sure what production numbers were for cars sold here, I would imagine that a scant few more than that survive on our shores.
Do I like the 944? Obviously. I must, because as a child, the 944 was probably my favorite Porsche right up with the 928. Do I like convertibles? Yes, I have always liked small, lightweight roadsters, but for cars where a hardtop is the norm, I'm torn. I'm not sure how to feel about the 944 as a convertible (sorry, cabrio). I quite like the overall styling of the 944, especially in its later years, and I do like the concept of a cheap, slightly more practical Porsche convertible. However, when meshed, the execution leaves something to be desired. No, I'm not saying the 944 cabrio is a bad looking car by any means. With the roof down, it looks fine. But, like all convertibles, the 944 cabrio looks like ass with the roof up.
Would I like an example? Maybe, maybe not. I do like the idea of having something that's exclusive, but I don't necessarily think the 944 cabrio is the Porsche for me. I don't really know why, but I've honestly never really cared for it as an open-top car. I shot this example partially because it's especially clean for its age (which is a nice bonus), but mainly because this red street-parked example is the only one I've seen, save for a white one at the local Porsche dealer.