The new Porsche 911 Targa has been officially unveiled at the Detroit motor show and has also gone on sale with prices starting £86,281 for the 911 Targa 4 and £96,316 for the Targa 4S. Orders are being taken now with first UK deliveries due in May.
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All Targas are based on the larger all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4 bodyshell and, like the Carrera 4, have a choice of engines: a 345bhp 3.4-litre flat-six and a 395bhp 3.8-litre. Sprint times from 0-62mph are 4.8 and 4.4 seconds respectively.
Unlike recent 911 Targas where a glass roofing system has slid back behind the rear screen, this 991 model Targa harks back to the 1965 original with a solid, removable cloth panel that hides away in the boot. The big difference is that it’s removed as part of a theatrical movement that sees the rear screen lift up and out of the way as the panel – identical to the central part of a 911 Cabrio’s – is automatically stowed in the boot.
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According to grant Larson, head of special projects for Porsche Style, a manual roofing system was considered, but “People who purchase these cars expect electric operation, so manual operation was out of the question.”