The 2021 Porsche 911 Targa's folding roof makes for a handsome beast

[MUSIC] Let's begin with the thing that people seem to be most fascinated by on the 911 Targa, namely the transformer like dance of its roof. Now, unlike convertibles these days, this isn't actually something that you can do up to 30 miles an hour on the move, you have to stop. So if you can stop, I think you might as well stop, get out and watch it. Admire the performance. From the moment you press the key, you'll have 19 seconds of pure delight, watching the carefully choreographed dance of the Targa's metal and glass, and little slots and folds together to form what some would argue is the best looking 911 in the range. [MUSIC] However, as you set off again, all is not entirely rosy [MUSIC] Almost as soon as you get going with a roof down, you notice a problem and you hear it? It's like when you open a single window in a normal car, it can be fixed. By pressing this I'll pair I think I was meant to deploy automatically, but it certainly doesn't seem to own this car. It was a real problem. On the previous generation target as well and what it is is something called the Helmholtz resonance discovered by Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz, a 19th century German physicist. It's the same principle as when you blow across the top of a bottle. carving the bustle 16 going and topping the blowing across the top of it. And it sets up vortices, which pulse and created that nasty noise. So this deflects the air effectively makes the car less aerodynamic. Also, not as good looking, which is a shame. It doesn't cure the problem entirely. There's still a bit of it around here and you do get more wind noise from the headrail. So Yes, I definitely negative about the target. But unsurprisingly, there are quite a lot of positives to starting with the sheer patience. Don't go thinking that the target is just a Boulevard cruiser. This is a seriously quick 911. With a score printer that we've got on this not 62 miles an hour's dispatch. Just 3.6 seconds. This is also one mile an hour faster, flat tires and the cabriolet at 189 miles an hour. Some of that accelerated pace comes from 500 sensors power to all four wheels because the target is only available in four and four S guises Priced at just over 98,000 pounds and just under 110,000 pounds respectively. This being the, for us we have 444 brake horsepower, 391 pounds for the talk. Now, this is the heaviest 992. So in ways All right claiming thin weight 1675 kilos, which is 40 kilos more than the cabriolet, 110 kilos more than a Thor hardtop c four s. You can notice the extra weighs a little bit. It's just a little bit dark. Perhaps, but I think for the set of cars that you think the jogger is, it's got all the performance it ever needs. The steering is, is very accurate. Certainly you wind it off with just into sport mode. Get that extra bit of sharpness and precision from the front end. I think I still prefer the two wheel drive versions of this 992 just for the feeling you get through the front axle. The gear box. This PD gear box is just superb, it's so responsive. Through the corners, it's a sensation almost [BLANK_AUDIO] Hooking your elbow around the lamppost and swinging around the imagine grip is gone. The sound of a three liter turbocharged engine. That's why it's been slightly different and every night I've driven and we've got the sports exhaust, and it sounds good. It's just a little. It's softer than say something like the lovely natural aspirated one. And the GTS four liter or the GT4 is quite lonely. Hideous in fact. But it's not spine tingling somehow, there's just a softness to it. The interior this as with other 992s, it's a nice place to be on I'm still not convinced about the merits of having a touchscreen and a sports car, but the rest of it on a day to day basis. Very nice indeed. But for all the targets appeal. I'd go for the cabriolet. in Jordan Taylor Polos. I'm going full crack, not just half or quarter crack. Look him up on Instagram if you don't know what I'm talking about. He's exception funny. You see the cabriolet it's identical all the numbers. They're the same towards MC purposes except exempt It weighs that bit less, and if you want that open air experience, I think that's the one to go for. I actually think it looks fantastic with a roof up, and it's also every bit as habitable. You might think that because this has got that glass rear screen, it would be more Civilised on a day to day basis when the weather didn't merit having a roof off. But actually, the Cabernet is so good these days that it's every bit as livable as this. Now this might have stirred or even reignited your question in your mind. You might be wondering why the target and the cabriolet both exist in the 911 range. Well, some of it is the fact that the tiger is a handsome beast and is popular with customers. But I think some of it also has to do with heritage. You see, the first open top 911 wasn't account It was a target. Very portion loved the ruthless car and wanted an open version of the 911. So in the mid 60s, Ferdinand Porsche son designed three proposals. One was a true convertible. The next had a collapsible bow, and the third had a central hoop that remained in place. Problems with the first two designs were maintaining stiffness and creating a sleek roofline without significant costly changes to the body. There was another consideration too. There was a big safety drive in the USA at the time and the consequent fear that the government would legislate against calculating time. The rigid Archer Ferdinand's third design would act as a safety piece in rolling. So with its brushed stainless steel, who the target was born. The name was suggested by Porsches Sales Director Howard Wagner, who suggested that it be named after the famous Sicilian road race in the same way that the Carrera had come from the Carrera panamericana race. Anyway, the original targets had a removable plastic rear screen. With a fixed class item coming A year later, a fully open cabriolet did join the 911 lineup with the se, but the target stayed to 49932997 the target morphed into more of a glorified sunroof, but then the 991 generations or return to the iconic look that has continued into the latest nine to generation. We have here So arguably, the reason for keeping the Targa in the 911 lineup, well, it's a touch of sentimentality. And sales, it does actually sell very well, so yeah. Sales and Of such mentality [MUSIC]