Gear Sports

Porsche has evolved the Targa concept over the years, but with the new 2007 Porsche 911 Targa 4 it has left the roof principally the same and made the biggest tweaks elsewhere.

A Carrera 4 with a twist
You may have noticed the extra character tacked onto the model designation for the newest 911 Targa. With the Targa 4 and Targa 4S, 2007 marks the first time there is more than one Targa variant. Those characters also indicate their biggest departure from Targas of yore — the hair-tousling Targas now sport the all-wheel-drive hardware of the current 911 Carrera 4 and 4S models.

The similarities don’t end there. Targa 4 models wear the Carrera 4’s wider rear track, more voluptuous rear fenders and larger tires. Same goes for the 325-horsepower 3.6-liter flat-six power plant and all-wheel-drive system. Ditto for the monster brakes and transmission choices. In fact, if you wanted to describe the 2007 Targa 4 as a Carrera 4 with a fancy roof grafted on, we’d let it slide.

Targa 4S models receive the Carrera 4S’s 3.8-liter 355-horsepower mill, 19-inch wheels and bigger brakes. Porsche’s active dampers, PASM, are standard on the Targa 4S and optional on the Targa 4.

Revisiting a theme
Named to recall past successes at Italy’s Targa Florio endurance race, Porsche’s 911 Targa originally sported a chassis-shoring basket handle which connected removable backlight and roof panels. Uptake of the half-breed Targa was brisker than expected, so Porsche allowed the model to live on alongside coupes and full drop-top 911s.

When the 993-based Targa bowed, it introduced a twist on the Targa theme in the form of a huge retractable roof panel. Sshhh. It’s not a sunroof.

For 2007, the Targa theme established by the 993 Targa and enhanced with a folding rear window in the 996 continues in the 997. Above the beltline, the new 2007 911 Targa 4 offers no real surprises — the transparent roof pane still retracts, the rear glass still opens up.

New, but familiar
Relentless engineering focus on the 997 Targa’s roof assembly resulted in a module which shares no parts with that of the outgoing 996. The glass panel itself is actually two layers of partially pre-stressed laminated safety glass separated by a tough, thin plastic film. Thanks to more rugged glass, Porsche engineers were able to thin out the sandwich slightly, dropping 4.2 pounds out of the car way up high, where it has the biggest effect on the center of gravity.

Still, the roof module, together with additional chassis reinforcements necessary to compensate for the stiffness lost in the beheading process, taxes the Targa’s curb weight by 132 pounds compared to an otherwise similar Carrera 4.

911s are good. There’s a rare harmony and breadth of proficiency among the 997’s steering, shifter, brakes and throttle which transcends its hard numbers and specifications. The Targa is no exception to this, and the measured doses of atmosphere and light afforded by the transforming lid just make the experience that much more enjoyable.

Leave a Reply