Imagine that you learned about the hero of this article from the story of a friend, and not on the GetRentacar.com website. "A loud Porsche without a roof, racing numbers in white circles, gold badges all over the body, and a red interior." The vulgar sports car of a football player comes to mind after merciless tuning. But despite the pathos of all the listed attributes, live Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition makes a noble, subtle impression. There are only 992 of these in the world, and they are ordered not at all to be modest. However, the designers of this "limit" have done everything so that there are no questions about any of their solutions in terms of authenticity or style. This whole car is a nod to the brand's glorious past. Skillfully disguised as retro, the ultra-modern techno of the 992 generations. Vintage begins with the choice of bodywork: after all, the Targa has been a constant in the 911 range since 1966. It was the model that strengthened the charisma of the already recognizable "Nine Eleven" and allowed the open version to be sold in the United States during the period of the persecution of convertibles for security reasons. Coupes and roadsters were made by many manufacturers of sports cars, and a minority experimented with teargas, but sooner or later they also abandoned this body.
And Porsche has re-issued the 911 from generation to generation with a powerful curved plate (the Italian word for Targa) behind the front seats, patented this name in honor of their success in the Sicilian Targa Florio competition. Until in the nineties and zero the managers responsible for the 911 model betrayed this idea, passing off the Targa as a body with a sliding glass roof on generations from 993 to 997.
The return of the silver arc came in 2014 when a soft top with a convertible folding mechanism was added to it ― to this day unchanged. To watch these 17 seconds of kinematic ballet from the side, there is a separate button on the key. You hold and admire how Targa, like an automaton beetle, pulls a huge glass shell to the stern, throws up the wings fixed on an arc, hides the fabric of the roof in its bowels, and does everything except the last operation in the reverse order. The magic of perfect mechanics! But the Targa 4S itself is just the right basis for something special in 992 copies. The recipe is not new: gold nameplates, livery, special materials, and other insignia highlighting exclusivity already formed the basis of the optional Heritage package for the hardcore 911 Speedster two years ago. But on the other hand, this set has not yet been worn out ― Porsche has not managed to create such homages for each model, so the Heritage Design Edition looks like a worthy candidate for any fan's collection.
Moreover, the interior of the current generation of all the latest in its forms is closest to the interior of the first 911. That is why a special vintage tachometer with green numbers on top of a white scale looks so organic in it, reminiscent of the Porsche sports cars of the fifties and sixties. Surrounded by the gloss of soulless displays, the device hypnotizes with its warmth and analogy - it is the main thing here, both ideologically and aesthetically. But in general, there is not so much that is unique in the Heritage edition of the Targa, most of the components can be reproduced in the configurator of any 911. Including the burgundy interior (anyone who calls this interior red will be immediately caught in vulgarity), wheels of nostalgic design Carrera Exclusive, leather-trimmed air duct strips, embossing on the upholstery, and, of course, all techno options. Apart from the exclusive tidy, there is velveteen on the seats and perforated Alcántara on the roof pillars and ceiling, plates, and carpets.
But these elements are so precisely matched to each other that they inevitably transfer the driver to the era of sports cars of the middle of the last century. So, in spirit, Targa Heritage is practically restored: a technically perfect mechanism is packed in a nostalgic shell. And since this is a Porsche, it's also devilishly fast. There is so much motor that I simply don't want to ― even at a speed of two hundred, the jerk behind the right pedal is very, very energetic.
And the wide tires and all-wheel drive allow you to handle the boxer beast with a little familiarity. Like a rear-wheel-drive sports car with a not very powerful engine, when you need to get the most of the buzz. Fortunately, Porsche knows how to tune the chassis so that the number 4 in the model name does not interfere with the pleasure of the gourmet pilot. For this car, everything that can be said about any modern 911 is true, and there is nothing new to add here. A great sports car ― very stable and fast, but at the same time lively and cheerful.
And a lot of that fun lies in the special effects that Heritage Targa generates. A catchy appearance is accompanied by an outstanding sound ― if a skilled performer is driving (in every sense of the word), then an enchanting concert is guaranteed to those around. First, we will effectively uncover the tool by remotely packing the roof into the belly of the body. Let's set it up ― poke into the muffler flap button. And then ― the will of creativity and imagination!
The result depends on rpm, gear, accelerator and petal handling techniques, and many other variables. So, the cannonade of shots caused by the release of gas with the vigorous movement of the arrow up and to the right is replaced by the drama of a crackling wheeze. And closer to the cut-off (there is no red zone here), the surroundings are filled with a sonorous echo of the shrill scream of a three-liter opposite. The smooth return of the tachometer needle will be accompanied by a thick bass that will not out-shout even the Burmester audio system obsessed with low frequencies. And now everything is the same ― only in the tunnel. Now with the roof up. This game with a motor is really like music ― it does not get boring, because the compositions can be created endlessly. Add the dance of the roof and active rear spoiler. And the ability of the transmission not to close the clutch until the driver wants to. Having comprehended the logic of the robot, you can call the kick down without any further acceleration at all. Or effectively pump the gas from the start and at walking speed in the parking lot. You want to prance on this machine, and it gives you so many possibilities!
At the same time, Targa is not a wild exotic, but quite a comfortable sports car within its format. With amazing seats, in which for a whole day of test drive the body only gains tone, and does not lose it. With clear visibility and acceptable ground clearance ― even with the Sport Design body kit for 300 thousand, "significantly reducing the ground clearance" - (c) the Porsche website. The test car was just like that, and with a ground clearance of about 100 mm, it easily passed all the sunbeds, only sometimes obliquely for insurance. And if the obstacle is very high or the parking ramp is too steep, you can use the "muzzle" lift: pressing the button instantly gives +40 mm of headroom under the lip of the front bumper at speeds up to 35 km / h. It's funny that a sports car capable of doing dozens of shock "launches" in a row cannot be squeezed out of the ground more than 5 times in a row - the system asks to cool down. On the other hand, you can memorize in the navigation system the points on the map at which you need to turn your nose up - and Porsche will do this from memory every time.
In general, Targa is surprisingly comfortable exploring new directions. Consumption of 12 liters in quiet mode and 18 liters in active mode allows you to move away from refueling with AI-100 much further than the length of the hose. To find driver's highways and blow through the open interior with thick rural air; teleport along "unlimited" tracks, easily fixing a record on a smartphone with one hand; finally, sneak confidently to the glamping parking lot on a medium quality dirt road.
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