Porsche's Technological Innovations Part 9: Targa, a Lucky Name Inspired by Racing

For Porsche, engineering, racing, and marketing have often been one and the same: names like Carrera and Targa, inspired by motorsport victories, have become symbols of the brand. Remarkably, the name Targa went on to identify not just a specific Porsche model, but even a distinct body configuration — regardless of brand. But how did this name come about, and more importantly, why?

The 718 Sport at the 1963 Targa Florio, featuring the rear roll bar that would inspire the famous hoop of future Targa models.

The Targa solution was Porsche’s brilliant response to a form of protectionism — similar to tariffs, to use a current comparison — which aimed to enhance safety for open-top cars. Let’s not forget James Dean’s death in a road accident while driving a 550 RS. But this legislation also masked an effort to slow the spectacular success Porsche was having in the U.S. This would have meant a sharp drop in sales of the small open-top German cars. Not wanting to lose American customers who were demanding an open-top version of the 911, Porsche revolutionized the concept of open-air driving with inspiration from racing. These were the years when race cars started being equipped with roll bars to prevent fatal consequences in case of a rollover. So why not draw inspiration from those?

The Targa concept defined a new category of cars with removable roofs, transforming a coupé into a spider.

However, the early designs didn’t look particularly attractive. Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, son of Ferry and the creator of the 911, reinterpreted the concept, giving the safety structure an appealing shape and finishing it in stainless steel for a sporty yet elegant appearance. The idea was to replace the classic roll bar tube with an anti-roll hoop that also added structural rigidity, onto which a small removable roof could be mounted. The curtain lifted on the new Targa at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1965, and just like the legendary "Carrera" — a name derived from Porsche’s early successes in the famed Carrera Panamericana in Mexico — the name of the new 911 with a roll bar was also destined to evoke sporting credentials.

The first rear section featured a small soft top similar to a convertible roof. It wasn’t successful due to noise and visibility issues.

Stuttgart had just won its fourth Targa Florio in five years. The proposed name "911 Flori" didn’t convince anyone, but "Targa" was instantly welcomed with enthusiasm. Genius. A name that from that day on would come to define a new class of cars with removable roofs — even fearsome competitors like the Ferrari GTS or Corvette Stingray adopted the style, although the name remains distinctly Porsche’s.

The solution was to abandon the soft top and adopt a large fixed glass panel.

Customer deliveries of production models began in early 1967. The rear section of the roll bar fascia consisted of a plastic window mounted on fabric and secured with a zipper — a solution that quickly revealed issues, most notably with wind noise. Just a few months later, a fixed panoramic glass window was made available, offering the advantages of a heated glass pane to reduce noise levels, improve visibility, and deter theft. By mid-1969, the soft top was discontinued but remained available upon request. However, very few customers opted for it.

With the 991 generation, Porsche reinterpreted the Targa concept by introducing an automatic roof opening and closing system, which is now used on the latest 992 model.