Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS RENTAL

Porsche says its Targa models appeal to alpine types, while beach dwellers tend to opt for the wide-open cabriolets. Despite its origin as an odd compromise in the 1960s—then-tiny Porsche was worried that regulations in the United States could kill convertibles—the Targa saw great success in the 1970s and 1980s. When the 993 bowed, Stuttgart did away with the simple, removable top panel and replaced it with a powered sliding-glass roof that rested over the rear window, which carried on through the 997 cars. The 997s began the tradition of the AWD-only Targa, available only with Carrera 4 and 4S powertrains. With the advent of the 991-generation Targa, Porsche ginned up a mechanically complex folding top that replicates the aesthetic of the early cars, while affording owners the effortless luxury in operation to which they’d become accustomed. The 991 also saw the advent of the GTS-badged Targa, which added 30 horsepower over the S model.

This second-generation 991.2 Targa 4 GTS that we’ve just driven gets 450 horsepower—once again, 30 horsepower more than the S—courtesy of extra turbo-oriented finagling. Porsche claims the car will run to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds with the manual transmission and 3.5 with the company’s dual-clutch PDK automatic. Given that we hoofed a 420-hp Targa C4S PDK to 60 in 3.3 seconds, we have no doubt that Porsche’s quoted numbers are seriously conservative.

ABOUT porsche

Ferdinand Porsche founded the company called "Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH" in 1931, with main offices at Kronenstraße 24 in the centre of Stuttgart. Initially, the company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, but did not build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, that is a "Volkswagen".  This resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the most successful car designs of all time.  The Porsche 64 was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle. Porsche SE was created in June 2007 by renaming the old Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, and became a holding company for the families' stake in Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH (50.1%) (which in turn held 100% of the old Porsche AG) and Volkswagen AG (50.7%). At the same time, the new Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Porsche AG) was created for the car manufacturing business. In August 2009, Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG reached an agreement that the car manufacturing operations of the two companies would merge in 2011, to form an "Integrated Automotive Group". The management of Volkswagen AG agreed to 50.76% of Volkswagen AG being owned by Porsche SE in return for Volkswagen AG management taking Porsche SE management positions (in order for Volkswagen management to remain in control), and for Volkswagen AG acquiring ownership of Porsche AG. As of the end of 2015, the 52.2% control interest in VW AG is the predominant investment by Porsche SE, and Volkswagen AG in turn controls brands and companies such as Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche AG, Ducati, VW Commercial Vehicles, Scania, MAN, as well as Volkswagen Financial Services. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (which stands for Doktor Ingenieur honoris causa Ferdinand Porsche Aktiengesellschaft), as a 100% subsidiary of VW AG, is responsible for the actual production and manufacture of the Porsche automobile line. The company currently produces Porsche 911, Boxster and Cayman sports cars, the Cayenne and Macan sport utility vehicles and the four-door Panamera.