Over on the Teamspeed website they’ve posted a number of photos of what appears to be a Porsche 911 Targa disguised to look, at first glance, like a Cabriolet.
This is interesting as, if you look closely, you can clearly see a fixed roll hoop just like that on 911 Targas up to 1993. Later Targas had a glass roof which slid back under the rear window, so does this mean that Porsche is abandoning the glass-roofed concept and returning to the original Targa style, or a modern interpretation of it?
The photos leave a number of questions unanswered, though.
First, how will the roof open? The original Targa roof had to be lifted off, folded and stored in the luggage compartment – I can’t see 21st century buyers of new Porsche 911s wanting to do that, so I assume Porsche has a new trick roof up its sleeve.
Second, at first sight I assumed that the car in the photos had a wraparound glass rear window (as per the traditional Targa shape) and there appears to be a spindle for a rear wiper. However, if that’s the case, why is there also the body line of the 991 Cabriolet lifting tonneau which the roof folds under? Is Porsche trying to mislead us somehow, or does the new Targa have a folding rear window?
Finally, will the new Targa be four-wheel drive only, as per the 997 Targa 4 and 4S? The car in the photo does appear to have a disguised central reflector between the rear lights, albeit a very narrow one. And a reflector strip was a feature of the 997 Carrera 4 and 4S.
All very interesting. Porsche hasn’t sold many Targas in recent years, with buyers preferring a full Cabriolet. That’s a shame as I always liked the glass-roofed Targa in 993, 996 and 997 guises, and I’ll be sorry to see that disappear, especially as the lifting rear hatch made it a practical 911. Yet, I struggle to see how a retro-look Targa will appeal to buyers in preference to a Cabriolet.
Time will tell. In the meantime, I can see the glass-roofed Targas becoming sought-after in the future, by buyers who appreciate just what great and useable 911s they are.
