300km/h with the Top Down – Porsche’s 911 Targa 4 GTS

New for 2015, this is the first 911 Targa with GTS running gear – and it’s an anniversary commemorative edition.

Hard to believe, but it’s been 50 years since some bright spark at Porsche came up with the idea of converting the B pillar of a 911 into a roll-bar and making the section of roof between it and the top of the windscreen removable, thus creating something midway between and coupé and a convertible.

So here we have the 911 Targa 4 GTS, which is exactly what it says on the tin: it has a self-stowing targa top, all-wheel drive and a 316kW 911 GTS engine.

You also get a standard-issue Sport Chrono performance package, PASM active suspension, a sport exhaust system and 20” rims thrown in at the price, in Germany, of €137 422 (N$ 1.86 million), although pricing will be settled closer to the regional launch in South Africa in the second quarter of 2015.

All of which is good for 0 to 100 in a claimed 4.3 seconds with the PDK double-clutch transmission and more than 300km/h flat out, at a combined-cycle fuel-consumption rating of 9.2-10.0 litres per 100km, depending on your choice of transmission.

The latest Targa is instantly identifiable as an all-wheel drive model by its bootylicious rear end; as with all such 911s, it is 44mm wider across the rear wheel-arches than its rear-wheel drive sisters, with 10mm wider rear tyres.

The front end is defined by its deeper-than-standard front bumper, framing the intake for the auxiliary middle radiator, and the smoked bi-xenon headlights, while the profile shows off the silky gloss black 20” Turbo S rims, special sports mirrors and GTS logos on the doors.

The interior is pure GTS, trimmed predominantly in black alcantara synthetic suede – not because it’s cheaper but because it’s half the weight – with the stopwatch of the Sport Chrono package in the centre of the instrument panel, and four-way adjustable Sport Plus seats with GTS logos on their head restraints.

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