Targa temptress

From the earliest iteration of the 911 Targa to the latest in the new 911 Targa 4 GTS, this is the signature car of the 911 range.

Decades ago, at the 1965 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, the very first 911 Targa revealed a new style of sports car to the world – one that was neither a coupé nor a cabriolet, but something new to tempt the senses. Driving in the open air is an indescribable feeling, but it comes with complications, especially in the 1960s when safety features were less prominent. The 1960s 911 Targa was thus a huge step forward, adding safety without taking away the open-air experience. The Targa concept was the start of a totally different kind of Porsche driving experience that would feature in all future 911 generations, as well as in other cars such as the 914 and Carrera GT.

By August 1965, Porsche had applied for a patent for the Targa. Then, from Autumn 1966, the Targa roof was out on the roads. From 1967, Targa models could be ordered with a fixed and heated rear safety glass window in place of the original fold-down plastic rear window. This became standard a year later, remaining until 1993. Targa tops remained a fixture in the second 911 generation built in 1973. The 911 body was modified for the first time, most obviously with the new box-shaped bumpers with black bellows on the side, designed to absorb impacts up to 8 km/h. All Targa roll bars had been brushed stainless steel to this point, but were now also offered in black.

By 1988, Porsche had introduced its first all-wheel drive, the 911 Carrera 4 Type 964. While the car retained the 911’s classic body shape, mechanically it was all new. Just a year later, a rear-wheel drive became available – the 911 Carrera 2. Both the Carrera 2 Targa and Carrera 4 Targa, built until 1993, kept the classic Targa roll bar and removable roof centre section.

A total of 87,663 Targa models were built in the first three 911 generations. The fourth-generation 911 Type 993 came in 1993 with a new body, followed by a new Targa concept from November 1995. The 993 took the Targa idea in a different direction, omitting the roll bar.

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The roof, made of tinted heat-insulating glass, ran from the front window to the rear within a longitudinal safety structure. Divided into electrical moving segments, it opened at the push of a button and retracted behind the rear window. This new Targa concept combined open-top driving without fundamentally changing the classic coupé roofline.

The fifth 911 generation arrived in 1997 with the 911 Carrera Type 996, with the Targa available from December 2001. Just like its predecessor, the car had an electrically operated glass roof, now with a surface area of more than 1.5 square metres.

The new Targa was also the first 911 to provide a rear window that could be folded up, making it easy to access the rear storage compartment with up to 230 litres of luggage space. September 2006 saw the introduction of the sixth 911 generation, type 997, retaining the same Targa roof design but adding a rear lid. However, the use of special glass made it possible to reduce the weight by 1.9kg; two high-gloss polished aluminium strips along the edges of the roof were especially eye-catching. The 911 Targa was now available only in all-wheel drive variants – the 911 Targa 4 and the 911 Targa 4S. Five years later in 2011, Porsche introduced the seventh and fully redesigned 911 generation, and then the 911 Targa in January 2014. Just like the legendary original Targa, the new model had the characteristic wide bar in place of B-pillars, a moving roof section above the front seats, and a wraparound rear window without a C-pillar. Unlike the classic models, this roof opened and closed at the push of a button to be stowed behind the rear seat. Now with the 992 generation, Porsche has added the 911 Targa 4 GTS offering all-wheel-drive traction and that open-air experience, with added safety and style. Its quick-fold retractable hardtop is gone in less than a minute, ensuring the new 911 Targa 4 GTS continues to blur the line between coupé and convertible. Porsche’s 911 Targa continues a well-defined lineage that started in 1965, with every Targa a new expression of that year's original classic comes to life. •