For quite some time now, rumors have been swirling around Stuttgart that Porsche->ke1 would resurrect the Targa body style for the all-new, seventh-gen 911. In the past few months, these rumors have gained a little steam, as folks equipped with video cameras caught a Targa top hidden beneath a faux fabric top.

Now, the new-generation 911 Targa made its world debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show->ke222, confirming all the previous rumors. The new model represents the return to the original 1965 design, with a wraparound rear window and a removable front roof section. There's a little difference though between this model and the original one, as the modern version's roof segment can be opened and closed at the push of a button in just 19 seconds.

The new 911 Targa will be put on sale this summer at a starting price of $101,600 for the Targa 4 and $116,200 for the 911 Targa 4S version.

Updated 01/13/2014: This review was updated with the official details, images and specs.

Updated 01/20/2014: Porsche unveiled two new promotional video for the new 911 Targa in which it reveals new features from the model. Enjoy!

Updated 02/07/2014: Porsche unveiled a new set of images for its latest addition to the 911 lineup: the new Targa, in both 4 and 4S versions. Check the picture gallery for the new images.

Click past the jump to read more about the new Porsche 911 Targa.

2014 Porsche 911 Targa

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Porsche 911 Targa
  • Engine/Motor: flat-6
  • Horsepower: 350 @ 7000
  • Torque: 287
  • Transmission: Six-speed manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Update History

Update 10/3/2013: A leaked dealer presentation lifted some of the mystery from the 911 Targa. This leaked shows us that the 911 Targa will indeed be based on the 4 and 4S models, and that the roof will be an automatic deal that somehow stores itself well out of sight. There is no exact information on how this top will work, but at least it's not the glorified moonroof that the last Targa model had. Also leaked is the price range of $100k to $150k, and that it will debut in Detroit next year. You can see the leaked images after the jump.(Jalopnik)

Update 12/13/2013: [MSN Autos

->http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/porsche-911-targa-revealed-msn-scoops-the-new-retro-991-1#image=1] Somehow got its paws on all of the patent drawings of the 911 Targa. To no surprise, it draws most of its inspiration from the original . You can see all of the images after the jump.

Update 1/8/2014: Porsche has officially announced that the 911 Targa will be revealed at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, and that you can watch the reveal live HERE on January 13th at 11:45 a.m. EST. A teaser video - revealing pretty much nothing - was also unveiled.

Updated 01/09/2014: Now that we know where the new 911 Targa will be unveiled, the first image of the car leaked online, revealing the car representative rear end, the bulky B-pillar, the fixed glass rear window and the removable section. (InAutoNews)

Exterior

When viewed from the front, the new 911 Targa looks basically identical to any other 911 Carrera model, but things change a bit when you move to the side. From the profile, you will immediately see all all of the styling from the original Targa model launched in 1965, thanks to its roof bar, a movable front roof section and a wraparound rear window.

The roof panel takes just 19 seconds and fresh air is just a button push away. The folded Targa top nestles nicely into a storage compartment behind the rear seats.

The New Targa Top In Action

Dimensions:

Length

176.81 in.

Width

TBA in. (w/o mirrors)

Height

TBA in.

Wheelbase

96.46 in.

Drag coefficient (Cd)

0.30


Rendering Vs Reality

We did a pretty good job with our rendering, as our artists only missed the metallic-colored roof bar. Other than that, it was spot on.

Interior

No details were revealed about the interior, but we expect it to be identical to all the other Porsche 911s. Customers will get the usual center console moved up to the front with the high-mounted shift lever or gear selector, the classic instrument with five round instruments to guide the way, a high resolution, multi-function screen, a central rev counter, and an ignition lock to the left of the steering wheel.

Drivetrain

The new 911 Targa is offered in two configurations: 4 and 4S. The base version is powered by a 3.4-liter, six-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 350 horsepower, while the 4S version gets a 3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine with an output of 400 horsepower. The Targa 4 develops 287 pound-feet of torque and the Targa 4S pumps out 325 pound-feet of torque.

The 911 Targa 4 can hit 175 mph with its base manual transmission and 173 mph with the optional PDK, while the 4S model hits 183 mph with a manual transmission and 182 mph with the PDK. Porsche has yet to reveal 0-to-60 mph times yet, but expect the PDK to outdo the manual by about 0.2 seconds in both formats.

Porsche Targa 4:

Engine

Manual

PDK

Engine layout

Rear engine

Rear engine

Cylinder layout / number of cylinders

Horizontally Opposed / 6

Horizontally Opposed / 6

Displacement

3.4 l

3.4 l

Max. Power

350 hp

350 hp

@ rpm

7400 rpm

7400 rpm

Max. Torque

287 lb.-ft.

287 lb.-ft.

Compression ratio

12.5 : 1

12.5 : 1

City (estimate)

TBA mpg

TBA mpg

Highway (estimate)

TBA mpg

TBA mpg

Top Track Speed

175 mph

173 mph

Acceleration 0 - 60 mph

TBA sec

TBA sec


Porsche Targa 4S:

Engine

Manual

PDK

Engine layout

Rear engine

Rear engine

Engine

Manual

PDK

Horizontally Opposed / 6

Horizontally Opposed / 6

Displacement

3,8 l

3,8 l

Engine layout

400 hp

400 hp

@ rpm

7400 rpm

7400 rpm

Max. Torque

325 lb.-ft.

325 lb.-ft.

Compression ratio

12.5 : 1

12.5 : 1

City (estimate)

TBA mpg

TBA mpg

Highway (estimate)

TBA mpg

TBA mpg

Top Track Speed

183 mph

182 mph

Acceleration 0 - 60 mph

TBA sec

TBA sec


Prices

Porsche 911 Targa 4

$101,600

Porsche 911 Targa 4S

$116,200


Competition

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The Corvette Stingray was built to give the 911 fits both on the tarmac and in sales volume, and thus far it has succeeded in the latter of the two. The former, however, is not quite as clear cut. With a 6.2-liter V-8 that thumps out 455 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque -- 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet with the performance exhaust system -- the Corvette and its removable center roof section easily out-muscle the 911 Targa, but the element of "social status" still sits in the 911's corner. However, at nearly $40k cheaper -- with the Z51 package -- a 1.03 G skid pad rating and a sub-four-second 0-to-60 time, who gives a damn about social status? We don't...

Conclusion

The new 911 Targa is a nice return to history, but in the same time is "modern" enough to keep us from dreaming that something cool is indeed coming from Porsche.

Leaked Patent Drawings

Not even the secretive Porsche can keep anything a secret these days, as the 911 Targa's patent drawings apparently leaked today. Now, we cannot confirm that these are the real deal, but they sure do look close enough to us. There's no mention on how these images leaked, but we're not too concerned about those types of details.

From what we can see on these images, there is little surprise to the 911 Targa's design, as it harkens back to the original 911 Targa. Gone is the bad taste of the retractable glass panel that Porsche once tried to pass off as a "Targa" and in comes a true-to-the-original, removable roof and brushed aluminum bar separating the roof and the rear glass. We can also see that the rear glass clearly wraps around, just like the original.

Leaked Dealership Presentation Image

The image above gives us some details on the 911 Targa, like the price range $100k to $120k, and that it will debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show with an April 2014 release. We also learned that it will be based on the 4 and 4S models.

Spy Video

As you can see in the above video, the 911 Targa was caught with its pants down, err, with its top off. That is just about all of the confirmation that we need to know that this model is indeed in Porsche’s plans. Add in the Porsche-standard gloss-black test-car paint and we can see it is a virtual lock…

911 Targa History

The 911 Targa has a pretty spotty history that is nearly impossible to follow, as it came and left more times than we care to count. The Targa model began back in 1967 when Porsche wanted to build a full-convertible variant of the 911, but fear that the NHTSA may ban full drop-top models in the U.S. lead the Stuttgart company to offer a removable center and rear window on the 911, but leave the massive steel cover over a roll bar in the center. Thus, the Targa was born!

In 1968, after complaints from 911 faithful that the Targas rear window was about as useful as a wrapping your car in plastic wrap, Porsche started offering a wraparound glass window as an option on the Targa.

1974 brought the next real change for the Targa model, as Porsche swapped out the foldable top that kept water out about as well as a thin tissue with a rigid fiberglass top. The soft top was still an available option for 911 traditionalists; in fact, most U.S. models were delivered with the optional sot top in place of the standard fiberglass roof.

In 1983, the Targa ran into some trouble, as Porsche finally unveiled a full-cabriolet 911. To say this was catastrophic for the aging Targa was an understatement. It crushed the now-useless Targa's sales to miniscule numbers.

In 1995, Porsche inexplicably left the Targa model off of the options list only to add it again in1996. Its return in 1996 brought an all-new sliding-glass-panel roof that was easier to work and more reliable than even the hard fiberglass unit it replaced.

1999 was yet another lapse in the Targa model’s production run, as Porsche left it and the Turbo model off of the options list.

The 2002 model year marked the return of the Targa model. It lasted through 2005 in this run. The 2006 model year was another off year for the Targa, but it returned in 2007 as the Targa 4 and Targa 4s, and ran through the 2012 model year.

The 2013 model year was an off year and now rumors are circulating about its resurrection as a 2014 and 2015 model year.