A lot of automakers have been spending a lot of time in patent offices these days. The latest to do so is Ferrari, which has reportedly filed a patent for a new targa top design with the European Patent Office. Pictures of the patent images reveal what you might expect from a Ferrari that’s sporting a targa-style roof. According to Ferrari, the setup involves a coupe body with a rigid roof that’s supported at the front up the upright of the windshield and at the back by a full-width roll bar. The roof, as expected, is completely removable.

We don’t know a great deal about Ferrari’s plans to bring back the Targa, but if it plans on doing it, we’re all for the idea. We haven’t seen a mass-market Targa-style Ferrari since the Ferrari 355 Targa went skidaddle back in 1999. Sure, there are more recent Ferrari models that came with a removable hardtop. The 575 V12 Superamerica came with a removable hardtop, as did the Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta. Even the super rare J50 had one of its own, though all three models were built in very limited quantities, including the 10-unit J50 supercar.

So what does this mean that Ferrari has a patent filing for an invention that relates to a Targa body? The most obvious conclusion is that Maranello’s planning on building a new model sporting that configuration. It’s unclear what kind of model this is going to be, but it is revealing that Ferrari used the F430 in these patent drawings. It’s unlikely that we’re going to see a return of the nameplate. It’s more likely that the F430 was simply used as a peg or stand-in for a future mid-engine V-8 Ferrari.

Is it possible, then, that Ferrari could be developing a Targa-style 488 GTB? There would certainly be space in the 488 range for that model, specifically between the aforementioned 488 GTB and the 488 Spider. If this model isn’t included in the 488 family, it could be an entirely new model, altogether. It could be a mass-produced model similar to the 355 Targa, or it could be a special or limited edition. All of these things are at play when it comes to Ferrari.

Whatever model ends up getting the Targa-style treatment immediately vaults up the ladder as one of the most interesting Ferraris we’ve seen in a while. It’s been almost 20 years since the 355 Targa was retired, so it’s going to be interesting how Ferrari designs one to fit its modern design language. Either way, we’ve been waiting a while to see a mass-market Ferrari with this kind of roof setup. With these patent filings becoming public, we could be one step closer to having to wait no more.

That, or this could be nothing more than diligence on Ferrari’s part. If that’s case, the wait continues.

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