Porsche 911 Targa 4S (2006) CAR review

A 911 Targa? It’s just a Carrera with a super-size sunroof isn’t it?

Pretty much. But it’s been a staple of the 911 range since the first appeared in the mid sixties. Back then it was a solution to the problem of offering a convertible at a time when it looked like roll-over conscious America might ban traditional soft tops. Porsche finally produced a full convertible in 1983 but the Targa lived on and while Targa sales aren’t huge – Porsche sold 5000 of the 996 version – there are enough buyers out there to keep the car alive. This is the first Targa based on the 997.

So what’s different this time?

Not much in engineering terms. The large glass roof panel still slides back beneath the rear window in 7sec as it did on the previous (996) model and that window, now 1.9kg lighter, still opens outwards like a hatchback making it easier to drop luggage (and children?) into the rear seats. But this time a new chrome strip running along the cant rail on the side of the car at least makes it easier to tell it apart from the coupe. Which isn’t so great: the coupe’s curvier profile is much more attractive.