True targa-top Porsche 911 available from aftermarket
If you've been in the market for a vintage, or just affordable, Porsche 911 in the last ten years, you've undoubtedly noticed the number of Targa-topped 911s for sale. The reason for the glut of Targas is two fold: Porsche sold a slew of them in the 70s and 80s and they remain less desirable than their fixed-roof counterparts. However, the allure of the Targa hasn't been lost.
Porsche's introduction of the 911 Targa was largely a response to stringent safety regulations in the 1960s, but the appeal of both an open-air experience (without the aesthetic and noise issues of a traditional cloth convertible) and some manner of additional safety made the Targa a popular choice. Porsche reintroduced its modern interpretation of the Targa last year, but instead of the removable roof and fixed rollbar/B-pillar, it opted for a duo of sliding glass panels.
Paso Robles, California-based performance shop, VeloTech, has decided to move beyond its bread and butter business – turbocharging European vehicles – and has developed its own traditional targa setup for current 911s. The roof, which is comprised mainly of carbon fiber, is still a pricey solution for a very select group of enthusiasts, but VeloTech maintains that if the price for the conversion can be reduced from its current cost ($10,000) to something more palatable ($6,000), the market could expand.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John 9:19AM (5/22/2008)
Looks soo good. Porsche, why do you not offer this? We don't need 3 special editions of the Boxster. Granted, great car, but come on, this conversion looks so right, why not do it?
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hahahahahaha.ha 2:05PM (5/22/2008)
ever drive an old targa top porsche?
They were the worst combination of features from the convertible and the coupe.
Leaky noisy top, and body flex, without the true open-air feel of a real convertible.
Cyx 10:59AM (5/22/2008)
IMO,maybe its rear-style looks like a American sports-car...
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MikeD 11:04AM (5/22/2008)
Looks like they started with a Cabrio. $10K for a custom hard top? Come on! Just because people can afford a Porsche doesn't mean they are idiots and will buy *anything* at *any* price.
Reminds me of those morons on ebay asking $5K for a used Porsche motor when factory rebuild is $6.5K. Idiots, the lot of them.
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jeffzekas 1:49PM (5/22/2008)
Where can you get a Porsche motor rebuilt for $6500? Here in California (and nearby Nevada) a complete rebuild costs $10-$12,000 (valve jobs cost $4-$5,000).
MikeD 2:30PM (5/22/2008)
Not sure why, but I can't seem to reply to your post jeffzekas. But...
I can't remember who I got the motor from off the top of my head. But I replaced my 3.2L water pumper engine 2 years ago. $6500 for the motor, $~2K in labor. The motor was a factory rebuild straight from the Porsche warehouse in L.A. with the usual 1 year warranty. If you really want a motor email me and I'll look in my notes for who I got mine from.
Anyway, that's all off topic. I'd be willing to bet this is just some goof who fiberglassed a top together and fit it to a Cab. Probably cost less than $1K in parts and labor and they want $10K to attach it to your Cab. If they had modified a Coupe like this I could understand the cost. But a Cab.?
It's flippen annoying that people think that just because someone owns a Porsche they have some inalienable right to rip them off.
pmalik 11:26AM (5/22/2008)
Wow that looks great, virtually identical in form to the original targa. Me likey!
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CEMan 12:22PM (5/22/2008)
Didn't the 'Real Targa' have a zip out rear window?
http://www.912registry.org/history.htm
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mk 12:34PM (5/22/2008)
that does look pretty slick. actually better than the original targa, due to the longer lines of the new 996-997.
It does look like a two-piece hardtop for a Cabrio 997.
That could be actually even better. A hard-roof targa for the off-seasons, and a full-on open convertible in the summer, by taking the rear glass and hoop off of the car.
If it is permanently fixed, it should hinge at the top, and open up. The body cut line is already there. Hollow out the bay for the no-longer-present convertible top and equipment, and use it for cargo area, especially to stow the targa part of the roof.
Plus it would likely be lighter weight than the moving glass panel OEM Porsche targa version.
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Mistry 1:58PM (5/22/2008)
Its weird to still see the cutline for the convertible top near the trunk.
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sfast 2:43PM (5/22/2008)
Disapointing. I wish Porsche would make a real Targa like this. But on the other hand, the rear glass is ugly. There is to much glass. I wonder if Porsche could make it look a little better.
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mk 3:20PM (5/22/2008)
Actually, I think the panel joints are in the right place.
They aren't even, but they are in the right place. The glass has a lot of black border, and would look better just completely tinted...
If the rear glass didn't extend that far rearward, the transition would be entirely wrong. The whole point of the 911's design is that there is one arching curve from the top of the roof to the rear bumper, and it flows uninterrupted.
I always thought the original 911 Targas were a bit odd with such a short body, it made the cars look awfully tall and even more stubby, length-wise. The coupes looked better.
that is my only stylistic issue with the cayman, is that it looks too short, due to the visual height and peak of it's roof. A lower roof, and longer rear quarter windows would make the Cayman a real knockout, and look longer and lower.
With the newer, longer modern 911s (996 and 997 especially) the targa treatment shown doesn't seem to drastically shorten the appearance of the car, but merely makes it look more versatile and fun, which was the point of the original targa anyway, I think.
jb 12:20PM (6/24/2008)
Problem with this product is that it is an add-on to a Cabriolet model, with all the weight and complexity of the convertible parts and motors. The original Targa was meant to bridge the gap, in both price and experience, between coupe and convertible, the Targa being based from the coupe model. VeloTech's product is, indeed, marketed at a small group of customers who can afford such accessories.
For the rest of us, though, I hope someone at Porsche sees this product and gets inspired to champion the spirit of the original Targa back into the lineup again, before the current big-sliding-sunroof version tarnishes the name any further.
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