New 991 Targa is old Targa
 

Autobild just reported that the new 991 Targa goes old school and will get a removable roof section
and a full width roll bar instead of the sliding glass-sunroof. What do u think? i like the old school more.

http://www.autobild.de/ir_img/7/9/5/...535ddc04a8.jpg

I like it.

Me too!
In fact, there is an aftermarket Targa Top you can buy for the 996/997 cabs, that looks pretty much exactly like it.
Unfortunately, it s unreasonably priced (11,000 EURO - $15,000), or I would be all over it.

For the crious:

http://www.gtn-automotive.com/gtn/sites/start_e.html



Glad to see the 991 is going back to that configuration.

That looks really beautiful! I love the old school look. My uncle had an old school one and I loved that car, excellent look!!!

Love it.

wow wow wow!!! this made my week. i think it looks fantastic. will likely solve the two biggest problem (to me) of the 997 Targas -- the roof sqeaks and the extra weight (when removed).

do you suppose the roof mechanism will fold up and fit in the trunk or what?

Nice! :)

So sick...great to see they are delving into the past for future inspiration,

-Jacked997

I'll bet this new targa top will squeak when its on also.

Very nice...if for real.
Can't wait to see!

Hope you're wrong - the wind noise from my 1989 Targa when the top was on was a buzz kill. I agree with everyone that it looks great!

still cant wait for the actual look of the new 991, anyway this is GOOD....

Love it. Just love it.
Really.

Awesome.

Thats a great idea!

Looks great. I hope it's true.

This is gonna be so sick.

Not if it leaks like the old ones.

I like it too.

Fantastically awesome.

Wow that's big news. Definitely good news! a 3.2 targa w/ G50 is still on my wishlist. I wonder if the speculation about a convertible hardtop have any merit...?

Exciting to know.. very cool. May return my Targa after all when lease expires... this would truly be the best of all worlds!

Hate it... I would not buy one.

• You loose the rear hatch utility.
• You now have to store those roof panels that you need to manually remove, somewhere in all that wonderful 911 storage space.... I guess next to the spare tire.

Manual panels? Then just give me hand crank windows too.

looks good maybe less practicle, but looks different and better than before!!

it´s just a rendering, maybe the final version will still carry a hatch feature.
as far as the storage is concerned, maybe Porsche has found a clever solution for it, we`ll see.

i like that Porsche decided to go back to its origins, to the real iconic targa theme.
the 997 targa is a nice car, don`t get me wrong, but for me (and i am not the only one),
it is just a 997 with a panorama roof. more practical but also less iconic.

the hatch: it's a useful feature no doubt, but does anyone really buy or not buy a targa for that reason?

storage: i really hope ur right, but consider the manual roof and assembly of the recent boxster spyder. does not inspire much confidence in that dept.

overall, i totally agree. the 997 targa layout is more practical, but there is something great about tying it back to the heritage. and it just looks so sexy!

we'll see it it happens. the rumor of a KERS feature now seems to be wrong (at least for the next few yrs).

Porsche hasn't stopped doing this since the 911 was created, no? The first one was genius... The rest are just slightly modified.

Where some see 'inspiration from the past', others see 'lack of innovation and originality'. It comes down to preference, I guess.

i think the rear hatch utility is a cool and practical feature.
most coupe drivers would probably love to have that feature, but in the end i guess the majority of potential targa drivers would say:
emotions > practicality.
the boxster spyder was a limited edition, old school purist etc etc. model, the targa is more like a mass production model in comparison,
so here is hoping that they did something clever with the roof and even if not, there would be something special about it.
something old school and that´s what i really like about Porsche.
the best in perfomance but with that reminscence and love for the past and their heritage.

i think with the Porsche 918 Spyder these questions are answered. :D

Don't get me wrong... I loved the Carrera GT, and now the 918 (eagerly awaiting its release). I just find it amusing reading the point of view of some members here. When they do something old, it is 'retro' - using 'heritage', bringing 'old school', etc... But when other brands try it on certain models, it gets slammed, because the car maker did nothing to improve the design.

The issue here, I see - is that those who like the 911 would not like to see any major changes to the car. Those who like new stuff and change things up often, want to see something new.

Basically - how do we decide whether a manufacturer is 'bold' by sticking with what works, or 'afraid' of change? Personal bias.

i agree with what u said.
i once read an interview with Walter de Silva (Designboss of VW, former Audi and Alfa design chief).
he said, that people think that it´s much more difficult to create a new model than doing an evolution,
a new generation of an existing one.
it´s the opposite. when u create a new model, u have so much freedom and room for creativity,
to experiment, to risk etc etc. it´s much more difficult to create an evolution that looks better
and fresh but still has the DNA of the predecessor. everything is limited cause there is a generation before
and there are loyal customers which u cannot risk to lose.
so there is only a thin line between doing it awfully wrong or exactly rite.

that´s what i admire about the 911 design. some (outside the 911 community) may say it is the same looking
car since 19.....whatever, but the truth is, it`s tough to create a new, fresh and interesting evolution now and then
with so little room to maneuver.
those who say 911 designers are lazy sadly don`t understand and appreciate what a difficult but fantastic job the 911
designers have done for decades.

love my rear hatch!
 

Massive golf bag fits perfectly!

did Butzi design the Targa arrangement as well, back in the old days ? Anyways, I like the sliding glass roof better, just my 0.02.

What would be the point? Werent the original Targa's a first gen sunroof? No natural light with that on. Looks cool, but impractical and a lt less convenient than a coupe with a sunroof.

There is nothing like driving in a 997 Targa in the rain...

I hope Porsche builds both versions of the Targa! :-)
Manual and the current automated version like the 997. Personally, I prefer the automated sliding glass roof.

On a related topic... Its interesting to hear others talk about performance impact due to weight of the Targa but how many people can actually extract even 50% of a 911's performance potential? My 2008 Targa 4S has more speed then I'll ever use :-)

By the way, I saw the 991 in person today at my dealership. Beautiful design and evolution of the 911. The overall appearance looks very substantial, expensive and has great road presence. Perhaps in the next 3-5 years I'll get a used 991 Targa 4S OR C4S to replace my '08 Targa. Or not! Love my 997.1 Targa! :-)

The current "Targa" isn't a targa at all. A targa roof is a removable panel like on the Corvettes and earlier Porsches. A sliding glass panel is a classy sunroof. I love the true targa and this rendering but I sincerely doubt that Porsche will be doing a throw-back Targa.

Thank you for the clarification! I didn't know there was a real definition for "Targa"

I'm wondering back then when they only had removable panels, they didn't have the proper technology to do a sliding glass roof that is "light weight", reliable and didn't distort the overall shape of the car? :confused:

that is almost too nice, can't wait till they depreciate

and if the roll bar is 1/2 the width of the opened space it could be designed to retract into it... lots of options, that rear window coould be hinged as well...

I think I like the newer sliding roof Targa design, though I've no personal experience with it at all.