A worthwhile F-model Targa project
Apparently delivered in pastel blue
One of 2,545 Targas from that model year
When Porsche began seriously considering an open version of the 911 in 1965, it faced a problem. In the United States, its most important export market, stricter safety regulations threatened effectively to outlaw conventional convertibles. For Zuffenhausen, that meant one thing: if there was to be an open 911, it could not simply be a cabriolet – it would have to be something new.
The solution made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965: the Targa. The name was borrowed from Sicily’s Targa Florio, where Porsche had been celebrating successes for years. Behind it lay a semi-open concept: a fixed stainless-steel roll-over bar, a removable roof section above the front seats and a flexible rear hood. Open, but safe. Porsche called it the ‘Safety Cabriolet’ – a description that found rather less favour with the marketing department.
The Targa entered series production in 1967, the 911’s third model year. The earliest examples featured the characteristic ‘soft-window’ rear: a flexible plastic rear screen that could be unzipped or removed altogether. It soon gave way to a fixed glass window, creating the appearance that would define the Targa for many years to come. At the same time, Porsche added the distinctly more performance-orientated 911 S to the range in 1967. The following year brought further diversification. The basic model became the 911 T, the T standing for ‘Touring’, while the gap between T and S was filled by the L, which in turn became the E only a year later. Sounds complicated. It was. Keeping pace with the coupés, the early Targas underwent all the same developments, growing from two litres to 2.2 and finally 2.4 litres.
This 911 Targa, originally delivered to the United States, came from England to Austria in 2013. As a T model from the 1970 model year, its 2.2-litre carburettor engine produced 125 bhp. A number of invoices and MOT certificates from its time in England attest to regular use and maintenance during the ten years it spent on the island. After several years standing idle, its mechanicals will certainly require some attention.
While that is being attended to, the paintwork also deserves a closer look. Beneath the present red finish, traces of blue are appearing here and there, most likely Porsche’s Pastel Blue (321). One of the prettiest colours in the palette, we think – and another very good reason to put a spring back in this 911 Targa’s step before too long.