The Porsche Targa, when it first appeared in 1965, was “cutting edge”, says Curtis Moldrich in Car magazine. The original idea was to design a safer version of the drop-top. Rather than stripping the roof off completely, the Targa had a removable roof panel. The result was a stiffer and safer car. Now that drop-tops are routinely much safer and sturdier, the Targa would now seem only to combine all the drawbacks of a cabriolet and a coupé. Still, it remains “one of the most desirable” 911s you can buy, even if only for the looks.
The latest model, the Targa 4s, combines a comfortable ride with an almost instantaneous throttle response and signature constant linear acceleration. It produces 443bhp from a six-cylinder, three-litre engine with twin turbochargers and “puts it to the road” via a refined all-wheel-drive system. “As in the vanilla 4S, Porsche’s four-wheel system is a non-intrusive wonder, quietly diverting power between the axles for the perfect blend of grip and driver engagement.”
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