Porsche 911 Targa: not all roofs are the same
How do you make the 911 even more attractive? Make it a Targa
Originally designed as a safer alternative to the Cabriolet, the first 911 Targa featured a manually removable roof and a roll-hoop to protect occupants in the event of a whoopsie. It was cutting-edge for 1965 and provided real benefits over a traditional open-top.
Now Cabriolets are much safer but the Targa lives on, its iconic roll-hoop is now a skeuomorphic flourish, there in part for stiffness – but mainly for looks. Still, who’s complaining when the car looks fabulous open or closed, the roof can disappear in 19 seconds, and the engineering required to make it happen is impressive every single time you press it into service?
Like the standard 911 4S (four-wheel drive; more power than non-S derivatives), the Targa 4S’s twin-turbo flat-six produces 444bhp, transferred to the rubber via Stuttgart’s very refined all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed twin-clutch gearbox. As with the non-Targa 4S, the four-wheel drive is an unobtrusive wonder, quietly splitting power and torque between the axles for the perfect blend of any-weather traction and driver engagement.
Just as the powertrain gives you the confidence to unleash all that the engine can give, so the planted and informative chassis encourages you to carry speed everywhere, relishing the Porsche’s taut, feelsome steering and unimpeachable poise. The Targa’s ever so slightly softer than the standard 4S coupe, with a hint of roll and a smidge less poise – the price you pay for corrupting a sports car with a 110kg greenhouse – but you’ll be enjoying yourself far too much to care. Incidentally, that extra weight means the Targa 4S falls behind on on-paper stats: it’ll hit 0-62mph in 3.6sec, 0.2 slower than the standard 4S, and its top speed of 189mph is 1mph down. Will you notice? You will not, though dedicated speed freaks with an eye on the budget will be aware that the Targa 4S is both more expensive (by £10k) than the 4S Coupe and less ballistic.
Yet none of this really matters when you’re driving – this Porsche isn’t built for ultimate speed as much as sheer, indulgent enjoyment.
The Targa’s wraparound rear screen and rollhoop not only look great on the 992’s almost architectural lines, they conspire – together with the open roof – to make every drive special. They envelop you and the 911’s discreetly techy interior in a glass cocoon yet, roof open, allow in enough sunshine and fresh air to make every mile memorable. It’s this combination – sports car performance but with the journey, rather than outright speed, as its ultimate objective – that makes the Targa a perennial hit.
First verdict
On paper, the 911 Targa doesn’t make a lot of sense. But then neither does fine art or salted caramel
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The wraparound rear screen, roll hoop and open roof conspire to make every drive special