2013 PORSCHE 911 TARGA4 roof

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Like every good story, this one is about
a dream. The dream of re-inventing
a legendary sports car concept and
enhancing it with technology that will
make it fit for the future.
This dream has been occupying our
thoughts for a long time. And like any
great dream, it has stayed with us every
single day – with our engineers, our
designers and also with many Porsche
enthusiasts. And that ’s a good thing,
because any thing is possible when you truly believe in something and are ready
to give your all to achieve it.
That dream has now become realit y.

We have succeeded in uniting the
iconic design of the 911 Targa with an
innovative, fully automatic roof system.
What began as a pledge in 1965 is
now honoured in the form of the
911 Targa with the perfection of a
timeless concept. And the car is set
to become a classic once again. The
st yle- defining classic of tomorrow.
Imagine meeting a childhood sweetheart again.
And discovering they are now even more attractive.
Perfecting the 911 Targa concept.

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Iconic style | The 911 Targa evolution
Over the course of a lifetime, we gather
a lot of memories, some of which play
out in our minds like films. With emotion
in stereo and Technicolor images of
forms and role models which have left
a lasting impression on us.
One of these films features the
9 11 Ta r g a . It begins in 1965 in Zuffen -
hausen – where else? It was here that
the original Targa with roll- over bars
and removable folding roof – Porsche’s
ingenious solution to American safet y
regulations – was created. Derived
from the 9 11 Coupé, the 9 11 Targa was
developed in response to increasing
demand for an open-top version of the
9 11
which could also offer the same
levels of comfort and safet y as a
closed-top model.
The Targa name alone is the stuff of
legends. It originates from the famous
endurance race held in Sicily, the Targa
Florio. The course was notorious for
its tight bends which the comparatively
compact Porsche race cars of the 60s
were able to use to their advantage,
Never restrain the yearnings of time travel.
The 911 Targa evolution.
chalking up a number of victories
in the process. ‘Targa’ means ‘shield’
in Italian and thus the name also
became symbolic of the ‘protective
shield’ provided by the innovative

safet y concept of the 9 11 Ta r g a .
The most distinctive, style-defining
feature of the Targa is its aluminium bar
with three fins and ‘ targa’ logo. Over
the years, this design has left a lasting
impression on the car’s drivers and
fans. In 1975, the silver bar was replaced
with a black one for the ‘G -series’

version of the 911 Targa, whilst the
subsequent 964 series saw the launch
of the first all-wheel drive 911 Targa. In
1995, for the fourth generation of the
911, the Targa got a completely new
roof concept: an electrically operated
glass roof with aluminium trim strips
running along the sides. Even though
this form of the
9 11 Targa underwent
further evolutionary development in
subsequent generations, its st ylistic
integrity was maintained, resulting in an award-winning design which conveyed
a feeling of open-top driving, even with
the roof closed.
The captivating saga of the 911 Targa
continues, even today. This current

episode features the return of the iconic
Targa bar, innovative roof technology,
that very special open-air driving
sensation and an exceptional level of
comfort. Once again, it is being played
out on the road. And the ending? Well,
that ’s been left open, of course.

1514Iconic style | The 911 Targa revolution
At Porsche, design has always been
about much more than good looks.
Design has always had a function too.
Only this way do you become a st yle
icon in automobile design – and remain
a
n influence in that field for decades.
Or at least you do if you take sports
car design seriously.
The 911 Targa has followed this maxim
right from the word go. The roof
construction, for example, took the 1963
911 Coupé to a whole new aesthetic level and featured a safet y concept that
made open-top driving a viable possibility.
But even in the 1960s, the crucial

question was: what do you do with the
roof? And: where do you stow it? Back
then, the solution to this problem was
very
different from today’s. With the new
911

Targa, our solution is a concept
which our engineers call ‘a fully automatic
roof system with innovative kinematics’.
Though its description may sound a little
cumbersome, the roof system itself is
For our designers: a sculpture.
For our engineers: a performance.
The 911


Targa revolution.

1716Iconic style | The 911 Targa revolution
any thing but. Based on a complex and
extremely robust engineering solution,
the new system allows the roof to be
opened and closed fully automatically in
a mere 20 seconds when the vehicle is
stationary. When opened, the roof is
stowed away elegantly and neatly behind
the rear seats.
The materials used for the roof are just as
pioneering as the roof concept itself. Two
flat magnesium elements keep the fabric
roof taut, maintaining that unmistakable
911 silhouette. The heated rear window
is manufactured from weight- optimised
laminated safet y glass. Together with the
noise-insulating roof liner, it ensures that
road noise is kept to a minimum when
the roof is closed. A wind deflector is integrated into the
cowl panel frame. When the roof is open,
it perceptibly enhances driving comfort
by protecting against draughts and
reducing wind noise.
The roll- over protection provided by

the Targa bar meets the most stringent
demands in terms of safet y and body
rigidit y. The design is spot on too. It
invokes the classic shape of the original
Targa, as do st yling details such as the
side fins, the aluminium bar trim and the
‘ targa’ logo.
The result is an open-top sports car with
the feel and comfort of a 911 Coupé.
Sculpture perhaps? Yes, certainly. But a
moving one in every sense of the word.

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The 911 concept follows a clear design
idiom which incorporates sloping dynamic
roof lines, accentuated front and rear wings
and round headlights. Together, these
features ensure that the
9 11 is just as
unmistakable now as it was 50 years ago.
It goes without saying that these principles
apply equally to the new 911 Targa. But
the car has the innovative roof concept
to thank for its individual looks and unique
engineering features. The elegantly
rounded rear screen and
the bar lent the original Targa a certain
lightness which
has inspired designers
throughout
the world of vehicle design,
and indeed beyond.
For the new 911 Targa, our designers
sought – and found – a way of directly
expressing both the distinctive individual
st yle of the original Targa and the sport y
performance that characterises the sev -
enth generation of the 911. Consequently,
Fashion changes.
But style endures.
Exterior design.
it now features an even flat ter silhouet te,
crisp clean lines and an extended wheel -
base for even greater stabilit y. Above all
else, a revolutionary roof concept
which,
rather than running counter
to the evolved
design idiom of the
9 11, blends with it to
create a harmonious whole. The result is
a design which is
purposely timeless and
yet always current.
Defining style | 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S

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In detail: the wide front track which,
together with the flat roof line of the 911,
creates a particularly dynamic front view.
The standard Bi-Xenon headlights feature
round surrounds, thus combining classic
appeal with state-of-the-art engineering.
A profile view reveals that the new
911 Targa 4 models likewise have the
unmistakable silhouette of the 911.
The aluminium trim of the bar with
characteristic fins and ‘ targa’ logo
provide additional stylistic touches.
At the rear, every thing – the st yling, the
appearance, the effect – is crisp and
precise, thanks to the clean lines and slim
LED taillights. They help to accentuate
the horizontal contouring of the rear, an
impression which is lent additional
emphasis by the active taillight strip. The
stainless steel tailpipes are unmistakably
Porsche. A dual-branch design is used for the new 911 Targa 4S. The wide rear
spoiler is extendable which reduces

lift in all driving situations and increases
driving stability.
The new 911 Targa 4 is equipped as
standard with 19-inch wheels, the new
Targa 4S with 20 -inch wheels. The large
wheels enhance the authoritative sport y
presence of the new 911 Targa 4 models
even more. The t yres have a large rolling
circumference for improved comfort
and performance.
We’ll conclude with a quote from
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the first
designer of the
9 11: ‘A coherently
designed product requires no adornment’.
That says it all really.
Defining style | 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S

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The interior of a 9 11 doesn’t follow
a particular fashion. It follows clear
principles.
Principles which also apply to the
new 9 11 Targa 4 models. Here, the
predominantly sporty interior design is
successfully combined with a classic

layout and high-quality equipment.
There are no distractions, no gadgets;
every thing is focused on the driver and
on driving. This is the only way of
creating what you could call a sport y
st yle – you could even say it ’s the
very art of sports car design.
These principles are expressed in
practice by the ascending centre
console. Its sophisticated ergonomic
design utilises a clear operating logic
for its controls, such as those for the
individually adjustable two-zone air
conditioning system or for operating
the roof.
Sporty. Classic. Elegant.
It’s wonderful when all styles unite in harmony.
Interior design.
Defining style | 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S

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Intelligent lightweight construction.
The innovative bodyshell of the 911 fulfils
t wo structural design requirements: first,
excellent driving dynamics due to the
body’s extremely high rigidit y; second, a
low vehicle weight primarily as a result of
the intelligent lightweight construction.
To achieve both goals, therefore, we used
very thin, but nevertheless extremely
rigid sheets of steel for the bodyshell.
In addition, aluminium was used exten -
sively in areas such as the underbody,
the front and rear ends, the doors, the
wings and the engine compartment
and luggage compartment lids, whilst
magnesium – a particularly lightweight
material – was selected for the front roof
elements of the new 9 11 Targa 4 models.
Authentic style | Chassis
Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM).
PASM, the electronic damping control
system, is standard on the new
911 Targa 4S and available as an option
for the new 911 Targa 4. It actively and
continuously regulates damping forces
according to driving st yle and road
conditions. In addition, the suspension is
lowered by 10 mm. PASM has t wo modes
which can be selected using a separate
button on the centre console: ‘Normal’,
which is blend of performance and
comfort, and ‘Sport ’ where the setup
is much firmer.
Sensors record the body movements
that accompany powerful acceleration,
braking or uneven road surfaces, for
example. The PASM control unit evaluates
the driving conditions and modifies the
damping force on each of the wheels in
accordance with the selected mode.
The results are tangible: increased
driving stability, improved comfort and
enhanced performance.