After the facelifted Carrera and Carrera 4 debuts, Porsche is following up with the 911 Targa facelift. Available in the same variants and 997 facelift upgrades, the 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S feature more powerful direct injection engines, PTM Porsche Traction Management replacing all-wheel drive and Porsche's new 7-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe or double-clutch gearbox. The visual highlight of the 911 Targa, as before, is the 1.54-square-metre glass roof made up of two segments, the elegant sliding roof at the front and the tailgate. When opened completely, the roof slides within seven seconds beneath the tailgate, offering an open space above the passenger compartment of 0.45 square metres. The sliding roof comes as standard with a new sunblind offering even greater privacy than before and, when closed, covering the entire area of the sliding roof and opening and closing electrically independently of the roof itself. The glass roof and the tailgate come in special anti-sunglare glass, protecting the occupants even in bright sunshine from UV radiation and excessive heat. Compared to the 0-100 km/h time of 4.7 sec and 4.5 time of the facelifted Carrera and Carrera S, respectively, with PDK trans, the heavier 911 Targa 4 accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds while the Targa 4S does it in 4.7 seconds. Top speed is also a little slower of 289 km/h (179 mph) for the base Carrera while the Targa S is 284 km/h (176 mph). Carrerra S top speed is 302 km/h (187 mph) and the Targa 4S notches slight below at 297 km/h (184 mph). Expect market launch and pricing information to be released after its October public debut in Paris.
2009 Porsche 911 Targa The updates on the Porsche 911 series began with the Carrera and Carrera 4 and later spread to the Targa variants and in preparation for the models full launch we are able to bring you a new video (featuring a little German) and 50 new images from the press launch event. The highlight of the new 911 upgrades is the new seven-speed double-clutch transmission dubbed PDK, gear changes are both smoother and faster enhancing the performance of the model. Power boost treatment sees output of the 3.6 liter engine from the Targa 4 rise to 345bhp whilst the 3.8 liter engine from the Targa 4S rises to 385bhp Put it all together and we have a 911 Targa 4 that launches from 0 to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds and a Targa 4S that does the same 0.3 seconds quicker. Keep an eye here on WCF for more details and images of the facelifted 911 series when they debut at the Paris Motor Show later this week.
