Porsche 911 Targa: has manual box.

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer) 05/18/2020 at 16:24 • Filed to: None

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Previously, only US market 911 Carrera S models got the chance of speccing a manual gearbox. But no more.

The Targa launch models come with AWD, but the option to get a manual gearbox on the higher end Targa 4S model, which has an MSRP of 165,000 euros in Spain. The manual is a no cost option   as opposed to the standard PDK unit; but don’t fret, the seven speed gearbox option also includes the Sport Chrono pack .

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 16:32

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I have a full disclosure: I’ve always loved the look of the Targa models— even more so since the 991 re-design.

CB > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 16:35

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I have a full disclosure: the Targa is always the worst looking 911 model.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > CB 05/18/2020 at 16:37

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WRONG

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > CB 05/18/2020 at 16:47

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Nah...  There’s always a way to put a hat on a hat.

Nick Has an Exocet > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 05/18/2020 at 16:50

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The teardrop shape rear glass on the 911 targa is the most design work anyone at Porsche has done on a 911 in 50 years. I think it’s good work. It looks phenomenal if the “hoop” is painted black and that rear glass is tinted dark.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 16:53

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I wasn’t originally a fan of the 992's rear end but I think I’m going to have to change that opinion here. 

Discerning > CB 05/18/2020 at 16:54

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You are 100% correct. I despise all targa models. Totally ruins the profile.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/18/2020 at 16:55

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Does lo ok great.

Too bad it’s the heaviest 911, and there’s no way I’d entertain owning a car with such a complex roof mechanism like that out of warranty.

arl > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 16:57

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That reminds me I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in a long time.

Loves me some Targa! 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/18/2020 at 16:58

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Funny. I don’t think I’ve had the roof on either of my Targas in the last five years... but... SoCal.

There’s something about that roof bar-- in polished metal.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 17:03

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These seem to be the non-CUV model least likely to attract a manual luddite anyway.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > CB 05/18/2020 at 17:06

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Sometimes. Not always.

Milky > CB 05/18/2020 at 17:14

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You’re gonna look at these and you’re gonna like it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/18/2020 at 17:15

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Haha - good point! If you never put the top up, it’s very unlikely to break.

You said even more with the 991 design. I’ve like past Targas, but the classic roof line of the coupe always won me over. With this new Targa, they managed to keep the coupe lines from windshield to tail.

Spanfeller is a twat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/18/2020 at 17:26

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It’s just a convertible 911 with additional scaffolding. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 17:55

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And a whole lotta rubber gasket material.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > fintail 05/18/2020 at 18:26

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I’ve never really cared for the typical stretched-out 911 look, and for decades thought that the Targa was the best looking 911 variant. If I was in the market for a 911, this manual die-hard would seriously consider a 991 Targa with the MT, something I would not have considered if it was PDK only. But since I haven't won the lottery I'll stick with my 6MT-equipped minivan, another vehicle unlikely to be chosen with a manual.

fintail > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 05/18/2020 at 18:40

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I’ve loved the Targa for a long time, all generations of it. My favorite 911 variant. But I am weird, I also like cabrios (prefer 80s era for those) and I am not a manual devotee - a PDK car would be fine with me.

I take it you have a Mazda 5 then?

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > fintail 05/18/2020 at 19:13

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The one and only! I love this little thing and have no plans to replace it. It’s surprisingly entertaining given what it is, and a hell of a lot more reliable and better built than the BMWs, Mercedes and Porsche I had before. Well, the 968 never gave me any trouble and the E21 survived a hell of a lot of abuse, so I’ll cut those two some slack.

Nauraushaun > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/18/2020 at 19:18

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Agreed. I love all the targa models. I think they’re the handsomest 911s and always have been, proving that targa is the best way to make a convertible.

I can’t get behind the complex ass mechanism on the newer targas, it’s really not in the spirit of what a targa is and loses some of the benefits of a targa over a regular convertible (simplicity and low weight).

The new targas don’t even make sense, but they are true to Porsche’s ethos of monetising heritage above all else.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > CB 05/18/2020 at 19:47

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Agreed prior to the 993. Since then, they have been gorgeous.

Spanfeller is a twat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/18/2020 at 19:50

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the targa should’ve been a t-top car. 

daender > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 20:23

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I love the look of the targa models, but I hate how overly-complex the mechanisms are. Like, there’re too many moving parts that can go wrong during ownership.

fintail > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 05/18/2020 at 20:28

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I wonder what percentage of those were manuals, maybe under 5%?

Spanfeller is a twat > daender 05/18/2020 at 20:30

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Do complicated tops represent a real long term issue in other cars?

daender > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 20:35

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Dunno, don’t care to find out!  I just prefer pop-out panels that you manually store in the trunk...or under the rear glass like Corvettes.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > fintail 05/18/2020 at 21:05

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That’s the figure I’ve heard. Mine is also a one year only color; they changed the red for 2013. It was the dealer’s  loss-leader, advertised dirt cheap to get people into the showroom, but was exactly what I wanted. The 20% discount off of MSRP also helped seal the deal.

404 - User No Longer Available > Milky 05/18/2020 at 22:46

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Hot take: the 993, 996 and 997 never had Targas. Those were just regular Carreras with a pano sunroof option.

404 - User No Longer Available > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 22:48

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In Canada we always had the manual option on the 991 . In fact with the new generation it became more restrictive that only the 4S can get it now, not the regular 4.

Milky > 404 - User No Longer Available 05/18/2020 at 23:02

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A sexy pano  roof and hatchback.

superdave847 > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 23:19

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Wait, the standard Carrera has a manual if it is a Targa? Did I read that right?

superdave847 > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 23:21

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The original Targa was a convertible with a roll bar.

superdave847 > Spanfeller is a twat 05/18/2020 at 23:22

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In the F-Body and G-Body, the Targa bar was a roll-bar--essentially a quarter of a cage.

Spanfeller is a twat > superdave847 05/19/2020 at 01:05

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iirc, only the US market got the manual 992, and it was only the carrera S model, not even sure if the 4S had it . This model, the Targa 4S, however is sold with a manual worldwide.

phenotyp > Milky 05/19/2020 at 02:39

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The guy I bought my 914 from back in... a long time ago... was a tech at a Porsche dealership. He said that most of the 993 Targas they sold were brought back to them to install a bunch of rubber washers and silicone to stop the terrible squeaking from the pillars.

So, maybe not the 993. Never heard how it worked with 996 and later, but I’d bet any of them that had the long pillars mounted into the convertible body had similar problems. It’d be really interesting to hear how it’s been with the reintro of the roll hoop. 

superdave847 > Spanfeller is a twat 05/19/2020 at 08:42

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So just on ROW cars?

Milky > phenotyp 05/19/2020 at 09:51

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Thats kind of funny that Porsche didn’t get it the right the first time, considering their engineering first mentality.

TBH I m surprised we haven't heard many horror stories about complicated tops, like the first gen SLK, etc.