Revealed by Porsche on social media, the new 911 Targa subtly pays tribute to its 1965 predecessor. Here we look back with #SoBARNES at one of the most remarkable stories in automotive history.
Don’t you remember? It was only yesterday. Or thereabouts. The Frankfurt Motor Show, September 1965. Porsche was unveiling a new car that would take the public’s breath away. It was neither a cabriolet nor a coupé. Neither a hardtop nor a saloon. It was something completely new. The 911 Targa was the world’s first safety cabriolet, and its fixed roll bar would soon set a trend. Open-top driving could now be enjoyed in several ways, with a folding removable roof and a fold-down plastic rear windscreen. The Targa could be driven fully closed, fully open or at once part-open and part-closed, with the roof’s central section removed or the rear windscreen folded down. This trailblazing concept would soon be applied to all generations of the 911 (with – let’s be honest – varying levels of success).
In the Targa, Porsche had found a clever way of meeting growing demands for safety in the US market. Some were even calling for a blanket ban on cabriolets in America! To decide on its name, the title of a circuit or race where Porsche had enjoyed great success would be used. Targa Florio was chosen, as the brand had shone in this Sicilian open-road race since the mid-1950s. From the end of the summer of 1967, a Targa could be ordered with a fixed glass heated rear windscreen instead of the fold-down plastic rear windscreen. This solution became a standard feature a year later and largely remained so until 1993!
Intergenerational
From generation to generation, the safety roll bar has changed considerably, whereas the 911 has always stayed true to itself, while ever improving. First released in brushed stainless steel, it was also available in black in the 1970s G-series. Even when the 911 SC Cabriolet appeared in 1983, the Targa continued, seen by many fans as a sportier – even purer – model than the real convertible. In 1988 came the 964, the first standard 911 with all-wheel drive. But even then, the roll bar version stayed central to the family. And with a shape that had hardly changed since 1965.
A change in course came in 1995, with the fourth generation of the 911: the 993. The Targa concept then took an unexpected turn: the safety roll bar was replaced by but a glazed, tinted panoramic roof divided into movable segments controlled electronically. This new model offered a handy feature: just by pressing a button, you could open the roof, which would slide under the rear window. This brought certain advantages: reduced wind noise and an interior that would stay sunny even with the roof closed. The next two generations – the 996 and the 997 – would prolong this concept while continuously improving it. The only snag for Targa-lovers? Was this car really still a Targa?
The legendary roll bar makes a comeback
Another twist in the tale came in 2014 with the 911 (991) which heralded a return of the Targa’s legendary safety roll bar now that Porsche had finally managed to combine with a sliding glazed roof. Just like the original Targa, the new arrival proudly sported a grey aluminium roll bar where the central uprights had been, a movable roof above the front seats and a wraparound rear windscreen without side uprights. Unlike the classic models, the roof could now open and close automatically. And it would do so in a spectacular motion: the rear windscreen would both rise and glide backwards to make space for the roof to shift.
Due to the current lockdown situation, Porsche recently used its WebTV channel to unveil the new 911 Targa. The 992 – only available with all-wheel drive – comes with the same engines as the coupé and cabriolet versions, starting with a ‘basic’ level of 385hp for a 3.0L twin-turbo six-cylinder engine! Given a delicately retro look by the original roll bar, which features stylishly, this 911 is available for the same price in cabriolet and Targa versions. Dilemmas dilemmas!
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