Collector’s piece
Welcome to the least dynamic, most flawed Porsche 911. Which still means it’s a beltingly good sports car. It’s the Targa 4S, and if you’re thinking it looks very familiar, well what did you expect? This is a Porsche 911, they just keep doing what they do, the Targa has been a staple of the range since 1965 and here’s a new one with the same complex roof mechanism as the last gen car. It’s priced the same as the full convertible at £109,725 for the 4S (4WD, higher power) car we have here.
However, this one costs an additional £26,918. And that’s because it’s something genuinely new. And also kind-of-genuinely old. A Heritage Design Edition. Only 992 are being made, a tribute to the Fifties and Sixties, which means the literature spaffs on about competition history. Some 356 that, here a 1963 crest, there some Fuchs-inspired wheels. Yeah, but those body decals are just stickers and the gold lettering? Suspect.
The inside is more successful. Not sure about the perforated microfibre headlining, but the corduroy seats, softer and comfier than leather and so good at holding you in place, are a delight. Green lettering on the dials? I’ll even forgive that. You can have it in four other colours aside from this Cherry Metallic, and this is just the first of four retro 911s, one of which is promised to be an Eighties inspired car. Literally. Cannot. Wait. It’d better be Guards Red with a dirty great rubber whaletail on the back.
The cabin still contains four seats and still suffers from occasional buffeting with the roof stowed. But otherwise what a lovely way to experience a road. At 1,675kg, the Targa is 40kg heavier than the full convertible, 110kg up on the coupe, but what’s interesting is Porsche hasn’t bothered trying to overcome this by toughening up the Targa, but instead seems to have embraced the weight and allowed the Targa to exhibit a bit of middle-aged spread. It rides very well, it’s refined, but go hard and there’s a bit of heave around corners. But it’s just so brilliant to operate, so beautifully put together. It might be motorsport inspired, but this is a borderline GT.