ISUK

It's not an exact drawing by any means so please don't interpret it too literally. If the targa panel is the same as the front roof section on the cabrio and stores in the same place then it follows that it may be possible for Porsche to engineer a folding mechanism that does allow rear seat occupants to sit in place whilst the top goes through it's opening and closing cycle. It all depends how clever the folding mechanism is. A cantilever scissor type arrangement at it's base for example would allow it to clear rear seat occupants.

I merely drew a simple telescopic arm to show that it is possible to allow powered retraction of the top as opposed to the manual top of the original targa. A manual would likely limit a lot of potential sales as people have, rightly or wrongly, become accustomed to pressing buttons in their cars as opposed to having to get out and fiddle with a roof to close it.

As to what is the point of the targa I'd suggest it is a shrewd marketing ploy by a company keen to expand sales without incurring major development costs. They are resurrecting a piece of design history where they had no real competitors and once again offering a totally different bodystyle to a new generation of buyers who have potentially become jaded by the coupe or cabrio options and who will instantly gravitate towards something that is different to all other cars on the road. From the look of the test cars they have managed to spin the targa off the cabrio platform and look to have likely used several parts of it's roof mechanism which will have kept development costs in check. The targa model is unlikely to affect cabrio sales as cab buyers want the full open top experience. It's also unlikely to significantly affect coupe sales significantly as purists want the rigidity of a closed body. It therefore is more likely to generate news sales for Porsche. The targa design offers a higher degree of privacy for those people who do not enjoy the feeling of being on "display" to other road users. The roll bar and rear window give a feeling of being closed in like a conventional car but the targa panel brings them a welcome element of open air motoring. It's a quirk that is working well in Europe for the likes of the Fiat 500C which only has a retractable cloth roof and does not have the full open top experience. Other manufacturers are now starting to copy this design (Opel Adam etc) as it is proving popular with buyers.

Keadog

I have owned a cab and 3 coupes since 1991. My kids mights have been in the back seat of the cab once or twice in the early '90, but no one has ever been in the rear seats of any of the coupes. I think of them as 2 seat cars with rear storage. So, not a big deal to me. Interesting point, though.

chuckbdc

I am not sold on the automation speculation. The biggest *functional* gains that the targa body style could offer over the outstanding 991 cabriolet design would have to come from not automating the removal of the top:
- structural integrity equal to the coup,
- a major increment of safety (assuming actual roll bar structural soundness),
- less weight, higher performance (assuming no retraction mechanism, and a folding magnesium removable roof segment)
- greater simplicity (less cost to manufacture and maintain- which given the Boxter / Cayman retail price structure may be a route to higher profits)
- stying and use variation (for those that like the look and the openness for the driver- I sure do)
- an opportunity to sell more cars (to a broader audience at less cost).

I never missed automation on my 914, and enjoyed the practically of the easily stowable hard top. It always seemed to me to be far better a solution that the complex, expensive, easy to damage 911 Targa top.

jmm

The reverse slant of the back seats in the cab is due to the pop-up rollover hoops, not the folding top mechanism. If the targa serves as a roll bar it would negate the need for the cab's rollover hoops and thus allow the seat to be like it is in the coupe.

ISUK

I doubt Porsche will see this car as a performance variant so won't be looking to minimise weight by ditching automation as a design priority. It will likely be marketed more as a lifestyle choice type of car and given a healthy price premium to match I suspect so an automated roof will be crucial to sales success, particularly in the US market I'd have thought. The original was simplistic due to engineering constraints at the time. How many current buyers would be prepared to get out of their car to remove a manual targa panel? The Boxster spyder already causes a lot of controversy over it's manual roof and it's a low volume special aimed directly at enthusiasts. A mainstream model with a manual roof would likely remain glued to showroom floors I'm afraid as buyers opted for the cabrio instead. I'd personally be happy to use a manual roof but just don't see it happening.

sfo

IMHO, ISUK's technical and commercial analysis is spot on

cmb13

Interesting info! That negative rake in the cab really bothers me.