The 2016 911 Targa might have the craziest, most over-engineered roof mechanism of any car we’ve ever seen. Previous Targas->ke573 had roof panels that were removable by hand or, more recently, glass roofs that slid under the rear glass. But like a Transformer that’s possessed the greenhouse of 991-generation 911,->ke1920 this new Targa’s roof is lifted up and back in series of mechanical gymnastics that beggar belief and then stowed under the clamshell rear glass.

Our friends at XCAR got their hands on a new Targa in GTS trim, and found that in addition to its amazing roof, it’s also an exceptional car that can be just about anything to anyone. Thanks to the Targa’s standard all-wheel-drive, it’s nearly as surefooted on snowy roads as it would otherwise be on the Pacific Coast Highway in June, and the bump in power over the Carrera S to 430 horsepower put it almost on par with the GT3->ke617 in terms of straight-line pace. But, it’s also comfy, cosseting and does pretty good impressions of both a convertible->ke144 and a hardtop. XCAR also points out that (next GT3 aside) this is also one of the last normally aspirated new 911s that we will ever see. The entire range of 991.2 911s->ke5294 is getting turbochargers.

Checkout the video,->ke278 and then check it out again to can comprehend how that roof works.

XCAR0}

Read more about the Porsche 911 Targa GTS here.