Porsche's Targa Series was Born Out of a Desire For Safety

Beginning of a Legend

Back in the 1960s, it seemed like convertibles were destined to be banned in America over safety concerns. To circumvent this, Porsche came up with something quite brilliant - the Targa. The automaker introduced the 911 Targa at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September of 1965, and it was a bit of a compromise - a sort of a cabriolet, but with a safety bar in place to provide rollover protection. Little did it know at the time that the Targa would go on to become a smashing success.

Photos: Porsche

G-Series Comeback

Named after Targa Florio – the road race in Sicily where Porsche has enjoyed great motorsport success since the mid 1950s, the 911 Targa debuted in the fall of 1966 to great success. It became a fixture in the lineup for the second 911 generation as well. But while the G-Series itself was a radical design departure from the first 911, the Targa design remained mostly the same, save for the addition of a black Targa bar to go along with the brushed stainless steel original.

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Type 964

The 964 once again brought major changes to the 911, but once again, the Targa remained a stalwart. The 911 Carrera 2 Targa and 911 Carrera 4 Targa, built until 1993, still had the classic Targa roll bar and the removable roof center section. A total of 87,663 Targa models were built within the first three 911 generations.

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Type 993 Goes to Glass

When the 993 came along, however, it also saw some major changes to the Targa top. The roof, made of tinted heat-insulating glass, running from the front window frame to the rear, was now encased within a longitudinal safety structure. Divided into electrical moving segments, it opened smoothly at the push of a button and retracted behind the rear window like a wide sliding roof. The main benefits of the new solution included reduced wind noise with a sun-drenched interior when the roof was closed. 

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Type 996 Brings New Rear Lid

Just like its predecessor, the 996 911 Targa had an electrically operated glass roof, now with a surface area of more than 16 square feet. There had never before been that much glass surface area in a Porsche 911 before. The new Targa was also the first 911 to provide a rear window that could be folded up. This made it easy to access the rear storage compartment with up to 8 cubic feet of storage space to load suitcases, bags or other luggage.

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Type 997 Introduces New Variants

The 997 911 had the same Targa roof design as its predecessor, but with an additional practical rear lid. However, the use of special glass made it possible to reduce the weight by four pounds, and two high-gloss polished aluminium strips along the edges of the roof were especially eye-catching. In addition, the 911 Targa was now only available in the two all-wheel-drive variants – the 911 Targa 4 and the 911 Targa 4S.

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Type 991 - Return of the Roll Bar

Porsche went back to its roots with the 991 911 Targa, combining a state-of-the-art roof with convenience for the first time. Just like the legendary original Targa, the new model had the characteristic wide bar in place of B-pillars, a moving roof section above the front seats, and a wrap-around rear window without a C-pillar. But unlike the classic models, the roof was opened and closed in the new Targa at the push of a button.

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Type 992 - The Next Era

The latest Targa, the 992, carries on that long-standing tradition, and is available in Targa 4 and Targa 4S configurations, with essentially the same mechanical package as the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S coupes and convertibles. It's amazing to look back and think that an idea born out of a desire for safety could turn into such a popular and long-standing model, but Porsche is no stranger to these sorts of innovations, of course.

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