fbroen

Spyshots from Autocar today. I bet this will look pretty sweet once the "convertibe" top cloth is removed.

sfo

that has the C4 sill extensions

cmb13

spourreza

yah but with the cloth top on, not a fan.

fbroen

You mean the mule camouflage appliqué?

chuckbdc

I think it will look great. But it seems to me that if the roll bar is not really functional as a structural roll bar, it will just be redundant with the cab and less convenient to use. The first Targa was out before the 911 cab as I recall.

fbroen

Why would the arch not be structural?

chuckbdc

Can't think of any reasonable reason- would be nice to see the model legal for PCA DE- in the open position.

SSST

I'll be interested to see the final result. It might actually persuade me to upgrade if they can capture the classic Targa look with an automatic roof.

BTW... Are those wheels styled after the 996 GT3 wheels? I love that wheel design.

Carrera GT

Definitely doesn't have to be automatic or motorized roof (especially not the clumsy hinged thing in the 458 Spyder.)

The important design factor is a rigid coupe chassis -- not (not!) a heavy and reinforced Cabrio chassis with a coachwork "cab" stuck on top. I don't want the upright rear seats of the Cabrio compromise, or the weight, or the flex ... all that was fine for the 944 last century, but not today.

I think Porsche has the opportunity to produce the desirability and functionality of the Carrera GT cabin with removable roof (and presumably a better storage design) with the performance, power-to-weight and appearance of a pure 911 silhouette that reveals itself to be a Targa when the moment is right -- unlike the conspicuously "wrong" squared-off Targa profile that was a product of technology limitations from decades ago.

I'm keen to replace the 991S with a 991.2 C4S Targa with Power Kit, but not if it's a compromise hardtop cap on a Cabrio body.

Z356

re: Carrera GT's "The important design factor is a rigid coupe chassis -- not (not!) a heavy and reinforced Cabrio chassis with a coachwork "cab" stuck on top. I don't want the upright rear seats of the Cabrio compromise, or the weight, or the flex ... all that was fine for the 944 last century, but not today."

Carrera GT - I am afraid you will be disappointed! Here is what I know from posing questions over at Rennteam, which is mostly a European Porsche enthusiasts website. They have there several moderators & others who appear well connected to the factory and often have better insight into upcoming models than some of us here in the States!

The 991 Targa is apparently done on a modified 991 Cabriolet chassis. See first photo below. This appears to be a sketch done by Porsche, perhaps as part of trademark application and appeared earlier in Rennteam.

An English forum member - ISUK - has speculated about how that mechanism will work and has drawn his own sketch to explain it. Those are the second and third pictures included below. Here is how he envisions this will work, in his own words:

"From the drawings it appears that the top of the roof bar telescopes upwards to let the targa panel slide beneath it then retract rearwards to stow under the clam behind the rear seats as it does on the cabrio. The roof bar will then presumably close back down leaving the original roll hoop look. The parts of the roll bar that appear to remain attached to the rear glass are likely just the decorative side panels that hide the hydraulic mechanism, that allows the top of the bar to lift up and down, when the roof cycle of opening or closing is completed.

It should be quite a cost effective system to engineer as it appears to use the same Z frame roof scissor frame section and same rear clam opening mechanism as the cabrio. Presumably the rear glass window will have to be made from fairly lightweight material (polycarbonate perhaps?). The lifting targa roof bar is the new and more complex part of the design."

I thank ISUK for his wonderful sketches! Personally, I think the rear window will be made of 'glass' and not polycarbonate. The latter will scratch easily and will not meet DOT requirements for the US market (that is why the light-weight back window in the gt3 RS is not Plexiglass on the US models). But otherwise, he has proposed the most reasonable explanation I have heard yet as to how the new 991 Targa top will operate mechanically!

http://www.rennteam.com/forum/page1.html?vs=0

I too await news on the arrival of the new 991 Targa! It might make an interesting companion to my current 'Crystal Blue' 1970 911E Targa!

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

PS I believe the wheels on the spy shot of the Targa provided by the OP are nothing special but the standard 20" Carrera S wheels. Anyone care to comment on that?

Carrera GT

I guess the Targa could be their idea of a hard top cabriolet.
Rennteam has some good stuff, but also the same signal-to-noise ratio problem of all forum sites when it comes to speculation about future Porsche models. : )
I should revise my "must be on the coupe" requirement to say that it must be no heavier and it must maintain the rigidity without compromise of the coupe. Of course the 991 is one quadzillion times more rigid than the 997.2, so it's all relative.
The only thing on the aesthetics would be the importance of continuing their attention to the 911 silhouette and not give the Targa a peculiar "flat" roof.
Presumably the Targa will have unique wheels to its model.
The seems to be no reason for wide body only, so I wonder if that's a price point and packaging decision ... this could be a real jaw-dropper price once you put on the power kit and all the nice-to-have options (you now, the stuff that's all standard equipment on a $20K Hyundai ...)

Keadog

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

PS I believe the wheels on the spy shot of the Targa provided by the OP are nothing special but the standard 20" Carrera S wheels. Anyone care to comment on that?[/QUOTE]

That's the first thing I thought when I looked. I agree.
Eduardo, your posts are wonderful. Thanks for all the info!
I am very interested in a new Targa, although I'm sure the pricing with "reasonable" options will be obnoxious...

WSH

Pic reminds me of 70's-era pimpmobile, with the "Landau" half vinyl roof

fbroen

From spy shots, it does not appear that the roof panel will be flat. A shame IMO, that this will not give the Targa its distinct look of old.

I can see why in today's world a lift-out panel wouldn't sell well, but that would be the only version I would consider, versus added weight of an auto-folding top.