Porsche sees the light with Targa

PORSCHE'S desirable 911 range is about to be supplemented by a new variant that offers the joys of alfresco motoring without sacrificing practicality.

The new 911 Targa - due to be unveiled at next month's Frankfurt motor show - will land here in December, priced at $203,600 in manual form. Throw another eight grand at your Porsche dealer and you can specify the Tiptronic system, which enables up and down changes via steering-mounted buttons.

Porsche Australia spokesman Mathew McAuley says just 40 Targas have been allocated for Australia until next August and around 10 of these are spoken for already.

Unlike the previous 911 Targa, which was based on the Cabriolet, the latest model is based on the coupe and is said to offer "the best of both worlds".

Its roof features an innovative glass panel that opens and closes almost silently by two electric motors. Porsche says the roof-opening surface area covers up to 0.45 m², which is almost twice the area of its coupe sibling's sliding sunroof.

Another design highlight is the "folding rear window" that functions like a conventional hatchback, enabling luggage to be loaded in relatively easily.

Luggage capacity is quoted at 230 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Mechanically, the Targa is identical to its coupe and cabriolet brothers, which means a 3.6-litre flat-six engine nestles behind the rear axle. It cranks out a hefty 235kW - enough to propel the Porsche to 285km/h.

The Targa tips the scales at 1415kg - 70kg more than the Carrera coupe, due to the roof module and body reinforcement at several points - but it is still no slouch in a straight line. Porsche says it can sprint from standstill to100 km/h in 5.2 seconds - identical to the new Carrera cabriolet.

Meanwhile, deliveries of the barnstorming 911 GT2 start later this month - but don't bother queuing up because this year's quota of 10 cars is pre-sold, as is next year's supply.

The price - if you must know - is $399,000.