What is it?
Of the endless 992-generation Porsche 911 variants, the 191mph Targa 4 GTS is the one you’re least likely to see.
For one thing, it’s expensive: £126,000 compared with £111,380 for the RWD Carrera GTS coupé and £115,920 for the regular Targa 4S. At only five grand less than the 911 GT3, the Targa plus GTS combo doesn’t come cheap.
For another, and GTS-grade or not, most people pining for an open-air 911 experience will gravitate towards the Carrera Cabriolet, the current iteration of which suffers no notable drawbacks stemming from the loss of the coupé’s solid roof panel and doesn’t require coming to a standstill to lower or raise the roof (part of the Targa’s artful deck extends beyond the car’s footprint mid-action, so necessitates stopping).
Most of all, though, you might question the wisdom of giving the heaviest, most touring-flavoured model in the 911 line-up a GTS makeover intended the make the car feel more focused and aggressive. That said, the Targa doesn't get the 911 Turbo-derived PASM Sport suspension that's intended for very hard driving and is found on the coupe and cabrio GTS derivatives. The setup lowers the ride-height 20mm from standard and features helper springs at the rear, which are designed to ensure the main springs remain seated after instances of maximum extension. The Targa GTS does with the regular PASM suspension, which drops the body 10mm.
Elsewhere, the 3.0-litre flat six's uplift in power, from 444bhp to 473bhp, is of course welcome as part of the GTS overhaul, as are the staggered, smart (21in at the back, 20in at the front, Turbo S design) centre-lock wheels, plus the Turbo-grade cast-iron brakes.
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Targa does not have Turbo derived suspension. No helper springs lol and not an option.
It reads like you really wanted to diss it, but doing so would taint Autocar's relationship with Porsche, so you tried to sit on the fence. I say tried, because any serial Porsche owner will now that.
If it seems like I'm sitting on the fence it's because this isn't a simple black-or-white, good car/bad car kind of review (nothing unusual about that). Fundamentally the 992 is an extremely good performance car so there's lots to like, but it's just not at its most convincing in Targa GTS form, for the reasons outlined. Nothing to do with our relationship with Porsche, as you know.