Porsche_US 911Targa_2014-1

The 911 Targa.

In the evolution of Porsche sports cars, the introduction of the original 911 in 1963 was a watershed event. It established a design vocabulary that remains distinctly our own. Just two years after the debut of the 911 Coupe came another design that stunned the automotive world: the Porsche 911 Targa. It was a concept as unique as the sports car it came from. No ordinary cabriolet, it was instead an entirely new idea of how to achieve the pleasures of open air driving. With its prominent Targa bar roof structure, it created a sensation. The structural integrity ensured that Porsche levels of handling precision could be achieved, while the folding roof allowed the driver and passengers to feel Porsche performance as never before. With the new 911 Targa, Porsche has evoked both the form and the feeling of the original Targa. It is a design that leaves no doubt as to its inspiration. It is simply a sports car for which there is no substitute. This is the new 911 Targa.

A Porsche is the sum of all that we have experienced as a maker of sports cars over the years. And some of our fondest memories are of the Targa Florio, the legendary endurance race held in Sicily. The long course through mountains and towns was notorious for its tight turns, and Porsche race cars of the 1950s and 1960s were able to use their exceptional handling to gain an advantage over more powerful but bulkier rivals. Some of the greatest Porsche race wins came in the Targa Florio, and the Targa name was meant to honor those sundrenched days in Sicily when Porsche Every Porsche is a collection of memories. The 911 Targa evolution. proved its engineering ideas in the heat of competition. In 1965, the name was given to a derivative of the 911 Coupe. In response to increasing demand for an open-top version of the 911, Porsche created a rollover bar and removable folding roof, and the Targa was born. “Targa” means “shield” in Italian. An appropriate reference to the most significant feature of the Targa: an Aluminum-Look bar over the passengers that provided a “protective shield.”

The Aluminum-Look bar featured three fins and “targa” script logo. Over the years, this unique design element left a lasting impression on Targa drivers and Targa fans. In 1975, the silver bar was replaced with a black one for the “G-series” version of the 911 Targa, while the subsequent 964 series saw the launch of the first all-wheel-drive 911 Targa. For the fourth generation of the 911 in 1995, the Targa got a completely new roof: an electrically operated glass top. The award-winning design conveyed a feeling of open-top driving, even with the roof closed. The journey of the 911 Targa continues. This newest interpretation features the return of the iconic Targa bar. Its innovative roof technology offers an exceptional level of comfort and operating ease. And most important, there remains that very special open-air driving sensation only a Porsche 911 Targa can provide.

At Porsche, design has always been about much more than mere styling. Design is a result of functional demands—for precision, for performance, for durability. It’s why the original Porsche Targa became an icon in automobile design—its influence has remained so strong for so long.