Porsche introduced the 911 Targa at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in 1965. Named after the famed Italian road race, the Targa Florio, the Porsche Targa was a response to a potential safety concern that could have altered car design forever. The Targa was neither a convertible nor a cabriolet, but the first car in the world with a fixed roll bar. It was developed in response to increased American safety requirements for open-top cars that, for a time, seemed as if it would end the production and sale of cabriolets altogether. A story exemplifying that problem solving doesn’t have to sacrifice the beauty of design. Nearly 60 years after the unveiling of the original Targa I had a weekend to find out what all these decades had given us in 2022.

Porsche reviews are perhaps the hardest to write. A sentence could sum it all up most of the time, as how much can one say about each model of a brand that delivers brilliance with each iteration? Consistently providing joy for generations. Besides, we here at TLP are not known for our traditional car reviews and frankly the automotive world is saturated with videos, podcasts, and other social media posts discussing the latest and greatest performance cars ad nauseam.

This will be no ordinary review. This is a love story for the model that set the standard for sports car beauty, the Porsche Targa. Perhaps no other model of open top sports car in history has the presence of the Targa, and the 2022 Targa 4S that I sampled for two glorious days, spec’d in Carmine Red may be the best looking open top car in existence today. Yes, a bold statement, but let me explain.

What better way to test not only the performance but the aesthetic than to use it as the birthday shuttle for my wife. From city streets in the Bay Area, to freeway miles in Northern California, mountain roads between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and along Highway 1 on the coast, the 992 Targa delivered in both driving pleasure and in garnering the most looks from others than any other car I’ve had the honor of driving. The Carmine Red exterior coupled with the Porsche decal along the sides and the telltale silver Targa bar across the top had heads turning at every point in our journey. Gliding along Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay had us feeling like movie stars cruising along the Amalfi coast.

The Targa has never been at the top of the performance charts for Porsche products, but it has plenty of performance for the Porsche lover and for others that may find themselves coming to the brand for the first time. The complete experience from the suspension, steering input and the buttery smooth PDK will offer more smile inducing moments than the majority of sports cars on the road can provide. It’s not the fastest but being immersed in the Targa removes any wanting for more power or a faster zero to sixty time. It’s not a car, it's a full experience and likely the best dollar for dollar one could spend on improving their mental health the instant they slide into the driver’s seat.

The 992 Targa carries on a tradition of stunning engineering via the power-retracting center roof piece where the rear glass glides as one singular piece. During our time with the vehicle, each time the roof was raised or lowered I watched it intently over my shoulder enjoying the dance of the mechanical movements. That’s truly the story of the Targa, both past and present. It’s not the 443 horsepower or the 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds of the Carrera 4s version we tested that makes the Targa a stunner. More than the specifications, the Targa has an essence of design and presence that transcends mere numbers. It has the precision and tolerances of German engineering coupled with a passion associated with Italian brands. It does everything on the road the right way, but the secret sauce that it brings to the party is not just how it drives, but how it makes you feel. The Targa is a mood setter and a scene stealer and may be the easiest way to feel like a movie star short of acting lessons and a trail of paparazzi.

Special shoutout to the owner of this special car and their willingness to loan it to us.

-Mark Farouk