CLUBHOUSE | DRIVING RANGE
BACK TO ITS ROOTS BEN OLIVER GETS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE TARGA 4S, THE LATEST MODEL IN PORSCHE’S 911 RANGE.
SCORECARD How much? TBA Engine:
3800cc flat-six
400bhp Transmission:
7-speed PDK twin-clutch automated manual
Performance:
0-100km/h in 4.6secs, 294km/h
How heavy? 1,575kgs
P
orsche is a relentlessly modern carmaker. Founder Ferdinand Porsche But for the latest Targa Porsche echoes that would be astonished at the range of cars it now makes, from its Macan original design, with a fabric center section that baby SUV to its silent plug-in hybrids. It’s a brand entirely in step with retreats electrically under the lovely, pillarless the modern world: its sales in China leapt 20 per cent last year. China is rear glass in 19 seconds. And that metallic rollnow its second-biggest global market, and the biggest for its sedans bar makes a welcome return, this time with very and SUVs. The sports car market in China is clever pop-out flaps that allow the growing fast, and Porsche is the market leader. roof section to pass through it. All The four-wheel But for its latest model, Porsche has returned to its roots, seem to agree that this is now easily drive showed its and its customers in both its traditional and emerging markets the best-looking car in the 911 range. will love it. ‘Targa’ is Porsche’s second-oldest nameplate, after But does it drive as well as it looks? worth through Carrera. Both names come from racing. The Targa Florio was I collected one in southern Italy and patches of standing drove to Sicily to make the first lap of a crazy event in which full-blown circuit racing cars would water: all of this will the old Targa circuit in the new model take to the twisty mountain roads of northern Sicily for ten laps of a 70km public-road circuit. It was an extraordinary which bears its name. A colossal be of interest and spectacle, but it was finally deemed too dangerous to be a on the way down proved relevance to Hong rainstorm major international race in 1973. By then, Porsche had won it the water-tightness provided by that Kong drivers. more often than any other manufacturer – including Ferrari fabric roof section: there was literally and Alfa Romeo, to their considerable chagrin. no difference to the insulation I’d have In 1965 Porsche adopted the Targa name for a ‘semi-open’ version of its iconic enjoyed in the standard Carrera which I use as my 911 with a lift-out centre roof section and a very safe, very distinctive steel roll-bar. daily road car. And the four-wheel drive which is There’s been a Targa in the 911 range ever since: most recently using a huge glass standard on the Targa showed its worth through section that slid back behind the driver. patches of standing water: all of this will be of
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interest and relevance to Hong Kong drivers. On the circuit itself, the Targa was the perfect companion, but for surprising reasons. Yes, it’s hugely fast with its 400hp 3.8-litre ‘S’ engine (there’s a standard 350hp version too). Its 4.6sec 0-100km/h time is as fast as those original Targa race cars, and they didn’t benefit from Porsche’s amazing PDK paddle-shift seven-speed gearbox. Equipped with the sports exhaust, the new Targa sound as good as they did too. The only criticism is that I could feel the Targa’s additional 90kgs by comparison with my own car. A driver new to 911s wouldn’t notice. But the Targa’s big advantage through the steeply-angled mountain-village streets, and over the open mountain roads which are now in very poor condition, was its usability. It has strong brakes, decent ground-clearance and feels bullet-proof in a way that more extreme (Italian) supercars don’t: leaving me free to retract the roof, soak up the sun and enjoy taking the Targa back to its roots. HKGOLFER.COM
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