
Do you own or have you thought about purchasing a classic or modern 911 Targa? I’ve had a 1981 SC Targa for two years and was intrigued by the history of this body style and how it relates to an eponymous Italian race.
Targas are cabriolets with a fixed safety roll bar. Porsche introduced this body style in 1965 as a way of complying with possible roll-over laws in the United States. At the time, there were rumblings that cabriolets were going to be banned in America due to safety concerns. In response to this, Porsche developed the Targa. In the end, the feared laws never manifested, but the Targa body style not only stayed but left its mark.

The early Targas featured removable roof panels, fold-down plastic rear windows, and a roll bar, according to Porsche.com. Drivers had the versatility to drive these models with everything buttoned up or everything fully open. They could also just remove the center roof or fold the rear window down. In 1966, enthusiasts had the option of purchasing a 911, 911 S, or 912 Targa, as well as a Coupe. Fixed and heated glass rear windows became an option for the Targa the following year and standard equipment in 1968.
But that’s not the interesting part.
The body style’s name hearkens back to the Sicilian road race dubbed the Targa Florio. Porsche successfully conquered the course several times starting in the 1950s. And what better way to show its prowess than to name the body style of one of its 911s after a race it dominated? Porsche and Ferrari were often the top contenders who battled it out on the course. When Porsche produced its first Targa in the mid-60s, its cars had won 11 of 19 races. The Targa was nearly called the “Flori” before executives settled on Targa, which translates to “number plate.”
The infamous race began in 1906 with a man named Vincenzo Florio and occurred prior to the production of Henry Ford’s Model T. The course meandered through a mountainous area of the Mediterranean island, according to Inside Hook. It included lots of twists, turns, and hairpins. It was a harrowing experience for the drivers. In addition to rigorous road conditions, they had to deal with changes in climate as well as countryside raiders. David Biggins, producer of the 2015 Targa Florio documentary A Sicilian Dream, said of the race, “It was the toughest and most grueling of all the road races for both cars and drivers.”
However, after a long-storied history, the Targa Florio eventually petered out. Initially 92-miles long, the mileage was cut in half by the time it was discontinued in the ‘70s. The reason? There were too many fatalities involving drivers and spectators, and it was a struggle to build barriers in some of the course’s remote sections.

The World Sportscar Championship dropped the race from its schedule in 1973, and the race stopped completely in 1977 after two spectators were killed. Still, Porsche continued using the Targa body style in its G series cars from 1973 through the 1980s. And it didn’t stop there. The original Targa roll bar with the removable center roof stayed intact through the 1993 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera 4. The Targa concept was modernized in 1995 and is currently in its seventh generation. The latest iteration is operated electronically, and the hardtop packs away behind the rear seats, making it quite a bit different from my classic ’81 Targa.
So, the next time you take out your Targa (if you’re fortunate enough to own one), you’re channeling a bit of Italian nostalgia—something most of us Germanophiles may never have imagined possible. Due to its storied history, I wouldn’t blame you if you drove it like a racecar.

Thank you for the great story behind my Heritage Targa. Love her.
JF