Porsche 911 Targa: A Modern Classic Debuts

There it is. The Porsche 911 Targa marks its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show. We are genuinely excited about this one, because you know, it brings something fresh to the table. Yes, it's a reinterpretation of a classic, but even that is welcome in our books in this world of compact-SUV dominance.

How does the Targa essentially differentiate itself from the rest of the Porsche lineup? Well, it's a coupe but it's not, a convertible but not entirely. It has a retractable roof over the driver and passenger seats, a wide bar where you'd expect to find the B-Pillers, and a wrap-around rear window without any pillars again. This being the 21st century and all, everything happens electronically.

Basically, the Targa system has two movable parts: a soft top and a glass rear window. With the press of a button, the rear window, which is attached to the convertible top compartment lid, opens up and tilts automatically. All the while, two flaps open in the Targa bar, releasing the soft top's kinematics. The convertible top gets released, folded into a Z-shape as the roof opens, and stowed away behind the rear seats. Once the top has been retracted, the flaps in the bar close and the rear window moves back into position once again. The roof takes around 19 seconds to open or close only when the vehicle is stationary. In case you don't want the wind in your hair when the top is down, a deflector integrated in the cowl panel frame can be put up manually.

Although Porsche are being silent about the weight, they do stress out that the rear window is made from an extremely lightweight laminated safety glass. Inside the cabin, the front roof element is lined with black fabric while the Targa roof bar boasts a layer of Alcantara.

As for the oily bits, the Targa – in true Porsche fashion – comes in to models: the 3.4-liter, 350 hp 911 Targa 4 and the 3.8-liter, 400 hp 911 Targa 4S. Both are all-wheel drive exclusively. The former comes with a 7-speed manual as standard. Should you chose, however, to equip it with Porsche's Doppelkupplung transmission and the Sport Chrono Package, you'd be able to hit the 60 mph mark in 4.8 seconds.

The 911 Targa 4S, on the other hand, does the same stretch in 4.4 seconds with the same ticks on the options list. Both versions get pretty good gas mileage as well. From 32 to 28 mpg depending on the model choice and transmission.

Standard equipment on each model includes leather interior, sports seats, automatic climate contro, Bi-Xenon headlights, 7-inch color touch screen navgation, digital radio, MP3 connectivity, Porsche Stability Management, Porsche Traction Management and a three-year warranty.

The Targa 4S adds to that 20-inch alloy wheels, Porsche Active Suspension Managemnet, torque vectoring, and a rear limited slip differential.

Porsche 911 Targa (2014)

Source: Porsche