2021 Porsche 911 Targa (992) Spotted, Shows Production Design

4 years, 8 months ago - 8 April 2020, autoevolution

Now that the Carrera and Turbo incarnations of the 992 Porsche 911 are among us, along with their Cabriolet derivatives, the time has come to talk about the next version down the line, namely the Targa.

Prototypes of the coupe-convertible Neunelfer have been spotted testing without any form of camo for some time now - you'll notice an example in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page. And the production model is expected to land by the end of the year, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic's effects.

As the Porschephiles among you are well aware, the German automaker completely overhauled the roof solution of the Targa for the previous 991 generation (here's a review of a 991.1 Targa 4S).

Thus, the all-glass solution, which has been with us since the 993 model introduced back in 1993, was left behind. In its place, engineers introduced a complex piece that allows the panel above the occupants to fold into the space underneath the rear deck.

And it looks like Porsche hasn't brought any changes to this, at least not on the visual level (we could expect hardware changes aimed at making the mechanism lighter and /or quicker).

Speaking of weight, the Targa is the least scale-friendly model of the range. However, now that most of the 911's engine lineup consists of turbocharged engines, this is no longer an issue.

Just like its predecessor, the 992 Targa should be available in 4, 4S and, perhaps further along the way, 4GTS trims, with all three using various forms of the turbocharged 3.0-liter boxer we tested when the eigth-generation Neunelfer was introduced. So, if you're looking for an RWD model, it's likely this won't show up.

Even so, the rumor mill talks about the return of the Turbo Targa, a badge that has been absent for decades, with this making for an extremely versatile proposal, albeit one coming at a generous price.