The brushed band. The folding panel. The compromise that became a style.
Why the Targa exists
The Targa was a response to a specific problem. In 1965, US federal regulators were considering a ban on convertibles over concerns about rollover safety. Porsche wanted to offer an open-top 911 for the American market but did not want to design a true cabriolet that might be regulated out of existence the following year.
The compromise was the Targa: a 911 with a fixed brushed-stainless-steel roll hoop arching over the cabin and a removable roof panel between the windshield and the hoop. The car had open-air motoring, but the structural hoop preserved roof crush resistance in a rollover. The regulators eventually decided not to ban convertibles. The Targa stayed.
The name
Targa is the Italian word for "plate" or "shield." Porsche borrowed the name from the Targa Florio, the Sicilian road race that the company had won six times by 1965. The Targa Florio name itself comes from Vincenzo Florio, the Italian count who founded the race in 1906. So the 911 Targa is named for a race that is named for a person — an unusually layered naming history.
The original Targa, 1965-1989
The long-hood and G-body Targa share the same essential layout: brushed-steel roll hoop, removable vinyl-and-canvas roof panel, removable rear glass on early cars (later replaced by fixed glass), and a slightly different rear pillar profile than the coupe. The brushed-steel hoop became the visual signature — a band of bare metal in a body otherwise painted to match the car.
Early Targas (1965-1967) had a removable rear glass that zipped out and folded down behind the seats. The "soft window" Targas are now rare and collectible. From 1968 onward, the rear glass became fixed.
Through the G-body era, the Targa accounted for approximately 20 percent of 911 production in some years. It was particularly popular in the United States, where the open-top body style appealed to California buyers more than the closed coupe.
The 964 Targa, 1989-1994
The 964 retained the original Targa layout — brushed-steel hoop, removable roof panel — with body lines updated to match the smooth-bumper styling. The panel was now lighter, with a different latch mechanism. The basic visual language was unchanged.
The 1996 reinvention
The 993 Targa, introduced in 1996, abandoned the brushed-steel hoop entirely. In its place: a sliding glass roof that retracted into a cavity behind the rear glass. The entire roof was now a tinted glass panel — closed in cold weather, open by sliding back electrically.
The decision was controversial. The brushed-steel hoop had been the Targa's identity for thirty years. Some enthusiasts felt the glass roof made the 993 Targa just an unusual coupe rather than a true open car. Others appreciated the engineering: the sliding glass system gave more of an open-air sensation than the small removable panel of the original Targa, and the cabin was structurally a coupe — stiffer than the original Targa or any cabriolet.
The sliding glass roof became the modern Targa standard. The 996 Targa, 997 Targa, and 991 Targa all used variations on the design. Then, in 2014, Porsche brought back the brushed-steel hoop for the 991 II Targa — a modern reinterpretation with electric folding that took twenty seconds to perform.
What the Targa means now
Original Targas — the brushed-steel-hoop cars from 1965 through 1994 — are increasingly sought-after. The original visual identity is unmistakable and the experience is open-air without the cabriolet weight penalty. A clean 993 Targa now brings 80-90 percent of the equivalent coupe price. A clean long-hood Targa with documented history can bring more than a comparable coupe — especially the soft-window early cars.
The 993 sliding-glass Targa, once dismissed as the unloved variant, is also climbing. Time has softened the original reaction. The roof system has aged well mechanically, and the panoramic glass is a feature few modern cars offer.