SLIDING ROOF TARGAS

For the 993, Porsche changed the Targa to an innovative sliding-roof design, which would stay for the following 996 and 997 generations. More practical than the ‘roll bar’ design, here’s everything you need to know

- Kieron Fennelly

Necessity is the mother of invention. The Targa idea came about when, as 356 production ran out in 1965, Porsche discovered that the 911 shell lost critical rigidity when the roof was cut off to make a Cabriolet. An open Porsche was vital for the US market, so Porsche devised a lift-off roof panel called the ‘Targa’ top. Chassis integrity was ensured by the striking brushed-steel hoop that became the Targa’s trademark, and the first cars had a removable rear window panel held in place by a zip. This was replaced by fixed glass from 1969 and the design remained unchanged until 1992.

A proper 911 Cabriolet appeared in 1983 (thanks to pressure from Peter Schutz) and by 1986 its hood was electrically operated, making the manual Targa seem anachronistic. Sales were declining anyway and with only a few hundred sold in the last years of the 964, the lift-off roof Targa disappeared from Porsche’s catalogue.

Its successor, the sliding-roof variety, had to wait for the 993, but although it was on the market for barely two years, in terms of sales this was pro-rata the most successful of this variety of Targa. Strikingly elegant, especially from the side where the 911’s C-pillar was completely redrawn, the electrically operated roof panels whose aperture could be adjusted almost infinitely seemed very sophisticated, especially as a sun blind could be raised independently.

The 996 carried this design over except for one detail: it now had an opening rear panel. This was the top pane of glass hinged to the left for ease of loading small items into the rear seats.

From the 911’s outset, Ferry had wanted an opening rear window, but his chassis engineers always told him that body stiffness would suffer. He lived long enough to see the launch of the first water-cooled 911s, but not the 996 Targa.