Porsche details new 911 Targa

If you had said to me just a month or two ago that I would be forced to sit, imprisoned at home, under a thing called lockdown because of a virus called corona, I would have laughed at you. And if you had said to me that our government would only allow us to congregate for three hours a day to exercise, and only be able to buy long sleeve shirts but not short sleeve shirts at the exact same store in the name of combating what we have been told on TV is a highly contagious and deadly disease, I would have thought you were insane.

The world allowed itself to grind to a halt and is now slowly trying to claw itself back from financial destruction and ruin. Sadly, this is not some twisted fairy-tale, this is 2020, this is our new reality. And part of this reality is that we can’t fly around and drive the latest cars and bring you the stories. But the show must go on as they say, and so I attended my first car launch via Skype, from my couch with my cat Soxy as my driving partner.

The car in question was none other than Porsche’s new 911 Targa that will be hitting South Africa in the fourth quarter of this year. Following on from the Coupe and Cabriolet, the iconic Targa is the third body variant of the new 911 generation.

The defining feature of the Targa remains its innovative, fully automatic roof system and, as on the legendary original Targa from 1965, it consists of a wide Targa roll bar, a movable roof section over the front seats and a wraparound rear window. The roof can be conveniently opened and closed in just 19 seconds.

This car, although very much about styling and its history, still packs punch and the dynamics that you would expect from a Porsche 911, using the existing 911 family turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine. In the 911 Targa 4 you get 283kW/450Nm and the 911 Targa 4S boasts 331kW/530Nm.

With the optional Sport Chrono package, the Targa 4 gets to 100 km/h in 4.2sec and offers a top speed of 289km/h. The Targa 4S hits the 0 to 100km/h benchmark in just 3.6sec and only stops at 304km/h. Both derivatives come standard with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK) and intelligent all-wheel drive Porsche Traction Management (PTM) to deliver what is said to be maximum driving pleasure.

Alternatively, should you feel that you still want to change gears yourself, the 911 Targa 4S can be ordered, at no extra cost, with the newly developed seven-speed manual gearbox, which includes the Sport Chrono package.

The new electronically controlled PASM variable damping system and Porsche Wet mode are also part of the standard equipment and ensure both dynamic and safe handling. PTV Plus is also fitted to the Targa 4S and is available as an option on the Targa 4. Porsche InnoDrive with adaptive cruise control is available as an option for the first time and provides even greater safety on the road. The enhanced Smartlift function also allows an increase in ground clearance to be conveniently programmed for everyday use.

The interior echoes the 911 Carrera models and is characterised by the clear and straight lines of its dashboard and its recessed instruments, for which the 911 models of the 1970s provided the inspiration. Alongside the central rev counter – very much a characteristic feature for Porsche – two thin, frameless freeform displays provide additional information to the driver.

A compact switch unit with five buttons for direct access to important vehicle functions is located below the 10.9-inch centre screen of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system. The standard PCM features include online navigation based on swarm data as well as Connect Plus.

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