Flying colors

With sports cars, colors are more than just makeup—they underscore the character of the car. The Targa is an especially good example of this principle, as it has been for five decades.

Green wave

Getting the green light: Green is used to indicate actions that are functioning or permitted. Green means go.

The original 911 (1967–1973)
Linden Green (special color)
The first 911 Targa was presented in September 1965. The name came from a rollover protection system, the so-called Targa bar. In the beginning, it had a folding plastic rear window, which was replaced in 1968 by a permanent glass version (photo).

Pure white

From a physics standpoint, white is the sum of all colors. It’s also regarded, without any negative connotations, as the purest of them all. A symbol for light, the ideal, the good.

G Series (1974–1989)
Grand Prix White
From 1975 onward, the Targa bar was black instead of its previous silver. The removable folding roof was retained in the G Series.

Black is beautiful

It’s no coincidence that black is the favorite color of the designers. It blends into the background, letting the form and functionof the sports car command the spotlight.

964 (1990–1993)
Black
With the introduction of the 964 series in 1989, the Targa became available with all-wheel drive for the first time.

On a silver platter

Silver is the ideal color for sports cars: It embodies lightness, freedom, speed, and clarity, but can also appear cool and restrained.

993 (1996–1998)
Arctic Silver (special color)
With the fourth Targa generation in 1995, a large electrically operated panorama glass roof based on the 993 series made its debut.

The red thread

Red, in a positive sense, is a signal color—a symbol of love. Red stands for playing with fire; in cars as in life, the color of blood embodies vitality.

996 (2002–2004)
Guards Red
The first water-cooled Targa debuted in 2001 with the 996 series; the rear window was now retractable.

Virtuoso blues

Blue is the color of the distant sky and the ocean, and represents the positive side of the imagination. It is the embodiment of harmony, trust, and reliability.

997 (2006–2012)
Cobalt Blue (special color)
Starting with the 997 series in 2006, all new Targa models now came exclusively with all-wheel drive. And the glass roof was given a sun blind.

Ray of sunshine

There can be no other color for the sun and light, and therefore alsoenlightenment. So yellow also stands for optimism, joie de vivre, and sensibility.

991 (seit 2014)
Racing Yellow
In January 2014, the 991 series Targa made its debut. It features a classic soft top and the fixed rollover bar, with a fully electrical roof mechanism.

By Elmar Brümmer
Photos by Rafael Krötz