Detroit Motor Show – Making its debut on the Porsche stand at this week’s Detroit motor show is the latest addition to the iconic 911 sports coup\u00e9 family: the 911 Targa.<\/p>\n
While Porsche-spotters will recognise cues from the classic Targa, introduced in the late 1960s, this one comes with an ingenious new twist. Just like the original, the new Targa has a wide roll-bar in place of the B-pillars behind the doors, a removable roof section above the driver and passenger, and a wrap-around rear window with no C-pillar.<\/p>\n
But, unlike the classic version, you don’t have to get out, unclip the roof, lift it off and put it away in the boot – just press a button and the roof automatically folds up and stows itself behind the rear seats.<\/p>\n
Rear-biased Porsche Traction Management all-wheel drive is standard for optimum driving dynamics on all road surfaces and in all weather conditions; in fact, up to the window line the new Targa is virtually identical to the Carrera 4 Cabriolet – but the wide rear body that’s typical of all-wheel drive 911 models, the roof bar and the dome-shaped rear window combine to create a distinctively sporty profile that makes the Targa very much its own car.<\/p>\n
FULLY AUTOMATIC<\/strong><\/p>\n The roof has two movable parts: a fabric soft top and a glass rear window. The rear window, which is attached to the convertible top compartment lid, is opened and tilted at the push of a button. At the same time, two flaps open in the Targa bar, the soft top is released, folded into a Z-shape as it opens, and drops into a stowage area running across the car behind the rear seats.<\/p>\n Then the rear window moves back in to position – all of which takes about 19 seconds in either direction and can only be done when the car is standing still.<\/p>\n There’s also a wind deflector in the cowl panel frame that can be erected manually when the top is down, noticeably reducing drafts and buffeting inside the car.<\/p>\n TIGHT FIT<\/strong><\/p>\n When it’s up, the fabric section is stretched tight by a magnesium roof shell and panel bow. It has an extra layer of sound-absorbing material to reduce road noise when the roof is closed, which also serves as a thermal insulator, and a headliner of black fabric to match the black alcantara interior trim of the Targa roof bar.<\/p>\n The rear edge of the soft top connects up to the fixed Targa bar, which has steel roll-over protection inside and painted cast-alloy trim elements outside, with three gills and ‘targa’ lettering on the sides of the bar as a nod to the original 1965 Targa model.<\/p>\n The rear window is made from two layers of thin, partially pre-tensioned glass separated by a film interlayer, with very fine heating elements covering almost the entire surface of the glass to ensure a clear rear view even in unfavourable weather conditions.<\/p>\n CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON<\/strong><\/p>\n The new Targa comes in two flavours, each Euro 6-compliant, with a seven-speed manaual ‘box and all-wheel drive as standard.<\/p>\n The Targa 4 has a 257kW. 3.4-litre flat-six that’s good for a claimed 0-100 in 4.8 seconds and 282km\/h flat out, when ordered with the optional PDK double-clutch transmission and Sport Chrono Package, at a cost of 8.7 to 9.5 litres per 100km, depending on which transmission you’ve asked for.<\/p>\n Want more? The Targa 4S delivers a quoted 294kW from its 3.8-litre ‘boxer’, and Porsche says it will do 0-100 in 4.4 seconds and top out at 296km\/h, while burning 9.2 to 10.04 litres per 100km on the NEDC cycle, depending on transmission type.\\<\/p>\n