After weeks of continuous rumours, leaks and spy shots – Porsche has officially unveiled the all-new 991 Targa 4 and 4S. Premiered at the Detroit Motor Show that is currently on going, the Targa features a rather innovative electronically retractable roof that sets to give owners the best of both worlds with a 911. With Porsche moving back in time, bringing back the original Targa’s features and persona, the all-new 991 Targa will add to the company’s range of 911s.
The all-new 991 Targa features a wide bar in replacement of the b-pillars, last seen on the 964 Targa. This is a characteristic that has gone away for the last 3 generations of 911 when Porsche replaced it with a retractable glass roof beginning from the 993 Targa model. The new 991 Targa now comes with a part soft top roof, retractable with a push of a button between the A-pillars and wide bar, and a wrapped around rear glass with no C-pillars. The retraction system requires only 19 seconds to retract the roof and transform; and can be done only whilst stationary.
With this system – Porsche says that owners will be able to enjoy a 911 that sets to offer the best of both worlds between a hard top sports car, and a convertible cruiser when the mood suits.
To help keep the chassis rigid and weight down, the Targa roof panels are made from magnesium roof shell and panel bow. At the same time, the Targa roof bar features a steel roll-over protection structure on the inside to improve the car’s safety in an accident. In terms of comfort, an additional sound absorber was also installed beneath the roof cover which aids in reducing wind noise and also thermal insulation for the driver when the roof is closed.
Other than the all-new roof design, underneath; the Targa is still a 911 which means, it still packs some serious performance. The 991 Targa will only come in 4 and 4S iterations which means wider rear tracks than the standard Carrera and Carrera S models. Performance is derived from a 3.4-litre flat-6 engine that produces 350bhp for the Targa 4 and a 3.8-litre flat-6 engine that churns out 400bhp on the Targa 4S. At the same time, the engines will be mated to an all-wheel drive drivetrain that Porsche calls, PTM or Porsche Traction Management that was set-up to be rear biased. Zerotohundred will be dealt with in 4.8 seconds (Targa 4) and 4.4 seconds (Targa 4S) respectively when equipped with Porsche dual-clutch PDK gearbox.
Standard equipment on the Targa models included Sports seats, Bi-xenon headlights, 7-inch touch screen Porsche Communication Management with sat nav, Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM). At the same time, the Targa is also fitted with Porsche Active Suspension Management that controls the stiffness of the ride and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with rear limited-slip differential as standard.
The Targa comes pretty well packed and at £86,281 opening price in the UK, it could probably attract many customers. However, if you want a more serious sports car, then we’d probably go for the Carrera S coupé which comes in rear wheel drive format. But if you want the best of both worlds on a 911 – then the Targa will suit the bill very much.
