Porsche_int 911_2017

Design of the 911 Targa and 911 Cabriolet. A legend of the 911 range, a classic, a sports car dream – ‘the Targa’ always will have a special place at Porsche. Conceived 50 years ago as a ‘safety cabriolet’, the Targa gained its reputation as a design icon thanks to its styledefining roll bar. With the innovative fully automatic roof system now in its seventh generation, our engineers have seen the Targa idea mature into a technical masterpiece. The roll bar, adorned with the ‘targa’ logo underneath the side gills, and the gracefully rounded rear screen bestow the new 911 Targa 4 models with a timeless elegance.

Their engineering hallmark is the inclusion of all-wheel drive as standard. For added driving stability, reflected also in the design, the body is 44 mm wider – an impression accentuated by the seamless light strip on the rear end. Roof closed, the new 911 Targa displays the profile of its 911 counterpart, whilst offering the comfort of a Coupé. Open the roof and the 911 Targa comes into its own: a style icon that transcends fashions, rich in tradition – even richer in future. The new 911 Cabriolet models have also always been characterised by open virtues. Made for civilised cruising on the coastal road, but also for some sporty corner chasing in the mountains.

Here, just like there, they excel with powerful forward thrust, great agility, and anticipation aplenty on every inch of tarmac. What does that have to do with design? A great deal, because not only does the innovative fabric hood capture the elegance of a 911 Coupé silhouette, the low drag coefficient and use of lightweight materials also mean that the 911 Cabriolet models come uncannily close to matching the performance of a closed-top 911. Form and function once again working as one. In a particularly aesthetic way.

Roof system. The fully automatic roof system of the new 911 Targa 4 models is innovative – and extremely robust. With the vehicle stationary, the roof opens and closes fully automatically in around 20 seconds. And it folds away behind the rear seats elegantly and with visual perfection. The roof materials are as pioneering as the overall concept. Two magnesium elements provide optimum tensioning of the fabric hood, while the heatable rear screen is made from laminated safety glass. Together with the soundproofed interior lining of the hood itself, this selection of materials ensures an incredibly low level of driving noise with the roof closed.

An extendable wind deflector is integrated into the windscreen cowl surround. The roll-over protection of the Targa roll bar fulfils the most stringent requirements for safety. And all the more so in terms of design. It takes cues from the classic form of the original Targa: with gills on either side, a surface finish in aluminum and the ‘targa’ logo left and right. In short, the roof system offers the driving feel of a 911 Coupé and the driving experience of an open-top sports car.