Open-air 964s
Flexible, fair-weather friends or serious driver’s Porsche? Total 911 assesses the credentials of the 964’s open-topped offerings
A 964 Coupe demands a high premium, but are its opentop equivalents worth a cost-saving consideration?
These days the 964 is an almost universally popular generation of 911. Endeared to the hearts of many for its near-perfect blend of modernity and classic purity, most would stick a 964 in their five-car 911 garage – though that 964 would likely be a Coupe.
However, with 964 Coupe prices – particularly for the Carrera 2 – now off the scale, and in an air-cooled Porsche marketplace that’s slightly unpredictable, for anyone wishing to get behind the wheel of a 964 at a reasonable price point perhaps the Targa and Cabriolet versions of 964 are worth considering?
I admit I am with you with a preference for the Coupe. A 964 Carrera 2 Coupe is always the perfect choice, so would you really consider the two runts of the litter: a pair of Carrera 4 964s, one a Cabriolet and the other a Targa? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Drive both across the bumpy, undulating B roads of the North Yorkshire Moors in the bitter cold of March, on a week when the UK is being battered by winter gale-force winds. Sounds perfect.
If we’re going to do this, we had better do it properly. That means no sheltering underneath the
canvas; topless is the plan. It’s actually a bright, sunny day despite the gale-force winds, and as photographer Chris says: “You won’t see the howling wind in the pictures.”
Removing the roof of both cars differs significantly. The Cabriolet is simple: sit in the driver’s seat, and push and hold the button. Wait 20 seconds or so. Done. Okay, so it’s not quite as snappy as a modern convertible Porsche, though it’s perfectly acceptable. For me, convertible cars of any make should be driven top-down whenever possible. I always offer a disapproving frown to anyone I see driving anything with the hood up in the sunshine, so making the process as simple as possible is a vital element for me.
The Targa is different. First off you’ll need to rummage in the glovebox for the two levers needed to release the latch above the windscreen, then faff about inserting them before swinging them through 90 degrees. That releases the front edge. Now you have to climb out and figure out how to lift the entire roof section clear, with the catches at the front combining with two steel pins at the rear to secure the section. If you’re like me and have a giraffe-like physique, you can use your leverage and self confidence to lift it clear, a small voice in your head saying, ‘don’t drop it, don’t drop it…’. Humans with lesser leverage may need assistance.
Once you’ve lifted the top clear, what do you do with it? The stubborn male in me refuses to do the obvious thing and read the manual. After a few more moments of fiddling I discover the over-centre crank that gives the Targa section its shape and rigidity and allows the whole assembly to fold down, suitable for storage in the front luggage area. Assuming you haven’t already filled it with luggage.
Fast and easy it is not. However, as I stand and look at the two cars, there’s no doubt in my mind which one is the better looking with the roof configured for sunshine. The Targa is the more attractive of the two. I have always loved the rollover hoop section and, while the rear screen isn’t the classic Coupe shape, I do actually like the wraparound curvaceousness of the one-piece rear glass.
The gleaming Tahoe blue paintwork and light-grey Linen leather combined with the gentle, green tint of that screen inspires in me the vision of driving the car along the Riviera, down a California
“Unlike the Targa there’s no real buffeting, the wind noise simply increasing in a linear way alongside the road speed”
highway or alongside Lake Como. It’s that type of colour combination.
The Cabriolet in comparison has a slightly clumsy appearance, the roof remaining visible, giving it a children’s pram-like look. However, the tonneau cover does clean things up, and it’s worth taking a few moments to install it.
Time to drive. The Targa is first, that Tahoe blue and Linen leather a personal favourite of mine.
While I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, I feel it suits the car. Heading briskly down the undulating B road towards Goathland, the Targa initially feels just fine. Increasing the pace, however, sees several things become apparent. Like the Cabriolet, there’s still an occasional shudder through the chassis. It’s most noticeable on the type of roads found here, with heavy camber, lots of undulations and many high-speed ripples and sudden bumps. Yorkshire’s B roads are certainly not an Autobahn, so these surfaces always demand a lot from the chassis of any car.
The second thing I am noticing is a slight buffeting around the roll-hoop area. It’s not as bad as, for example, driving at high speed with the windows rolled down. It’s not even a buffeting that makes your ears hurt or makes you want to slow down, though for sure it’s there at any speed beyond 60mph. If you’re a driver who enjoys having the windows wound down, then you’re probably going to be just fine with it. If you’re one of those that prefers to concentrate on the job in hand with the minimum of distractions, then you may find it a little irritating after a while.
I return to the photo location, Chris battling through the shot list as the bitter wind threatens to send his lighting kit into the next county. I have a brief moment of sympathy for him before I drop down into the Cabriolet and set the heater on full. A twist of the key delivers the element of the 964 I love so much. The gruffness of the exhaust note of the 964 engine has a unique bass tone, unlike other air-cooled 911s across the years, and this car has a sports exhaust that enhances it. Hood down you get the full-on effect, and there’s no doubt it’s the type of tone that finds you seeking out tunnels and dry stone walls to bounce the sound back from.
The same stretch of demanding road delivers an experience in the Cabriolet that is very similar to the Targa, yet in other respects is very different. I feel the same slight compromise in stiffness, the odd shudder as the dampers are caught out in those sudden bumps, so there’s little to choose between the two in this respect. The big difference is in the hood area and its behaviour as the speed increases. Unlike the Targa there’s no real buffeting, the wind noise simply increasing in a linear way alongside road speed.
You get to the point where road speed versus wind noise and the ability to conduct a conversation reaches your own personal comfort level, and there’s your limit. The Targa began to irritate me before the Cabriolet did, the buffeting noticeably more intrusive.
For me, this makes the Cabriolet the better drive of the two. If I know I am driving a convertible car, I subconsciously accept the fact that it’s not going to be as refined as a Coupe. After all, the al fresco driving experience is the reason you chose it, right? The additional interference from the Targa made it that bit more of a compromise, the sort of thing that would become irritating on even the sunniest of highspeed holidays through Europe.
I haven’t talked about the Carrera 4 element of this equation yet, and there’s a reason. Many drivers
prefer the purity of handling from the Carrera 2 chassis, and I agree. However, there are several other things to consider. Firstly, if you’re drawn to the Cabriolet or Targa, then the chances are you’re not after the absolute purity of a 964 drive. Therefore this is probably of debatable importance. Secondly, I have driven Carrera 4 964s that have been set up correctly using modern alignment technology. In the hands of a skilled technician many of the understeer characteristics of the Carrera 4 can be dialled out. Neither of these cars are ever likely to venture onto a track, and for many owners the four-wheel-drive element may well add a layer of security that they actually prefer.
Originally these cars were bought new by owners who actually chose this specification. In today’s world of collectable air-cooled 911s and the passionate enthusiast marketplace, they are perceived differently to how they would have been when new.
So, is an al fresco Porsche a worthy buy? Are the drawbacks acceptable, or not? And of course the big question is, if you’d just spent around £50,000 on these collectable 964s, would you be feeling a little short-changed?
Firstly, yes, they are a worthy purchase, to the right person. If you enjoy open-top motoring and you aspire to own a 911, both of these are significantly better than other offerings of the period and are better than Porsche’s earlier attempts in terms of body stiffness and refinement.
Are the drawbacks acceptable? Without a doubt, both Targa and Cabriolet are not as stiff and as tight a drive as a Coupe. Whether you find them acceptable depends on your expectations. You’re unlikely to enjoy tackling Eau Rouge in either of them, but for the occasional sunny-day drive that most 964s are used for today they have a lot to offer.
So would you feel short-changed if you had recently bought either? If you’ve done your research correctly, then no. Accept that they will never offer 964 RS levels of engagement. Additionally, they will never be quite as collectable as a 964
Coupe, though chances are that this is what has made them affordable to you. So accept that any future investment benefits will be lesser, and enjoy driving them.
Which one would I choose? The Cabriolet.
I love the shape of the Targa, and greatly appreciate the re-introduction of the style to the 991 series. However, the sheer practicality of simply pushing the button, sipping an Americano as the blue sky is revealed and then being ready to go, top-down, has massive benefits in my view. And it also leaves the front luggage area free to be filled with more wine from the road trip.