Porsche may have expanded its vehicle lineup with never-before-seen (for this brand) models, from the Macan and Cayenne to the Panamera and Taycan. Fortunately, they have remained committed to the Boxster and Cayman and the larger and more powerful 911 series.
In case you missed it, the entire 911 range is getting ready to be refreshed. The 992 generation will blow five candles off its birthday cake this year, and Porsche knows it is time for an update. Nevertheless, they won't fool around with the design, so unless you're a diehard fan of the Zuffenhausen company, you may be unable to tell what is new.
Still, as is common with facelifted iterations, the 992.2 family will benefit from a new front and rear bumper, revised lighting units, a few tweaks inside, and some updates beneath the skin. This is the case of the upcoming Porsche 911 Targa, which was recently caught doing its thing in a winter wonderland in Northern Europe, and it was almost undisguised.
As a result, we can see its new trick headlamps, a different bumper, and a modified back end that was partially hidden by the snow. It is fantastic to see that Porsche will keep this model around for the mid-cycle refresh, as we think it offers the best of both worlds: an open-top view of the sky above and a less noisy driving experience with the top off compared to the convertibles.
Photo: Baldauf
One thing you will see is that this prototype had two round tailpipes in the center, so we are likely looking at the standard exhaust system, as the sportier one will feature two oval pipes mounted to the sides. We should also note that the front bumper is much more visible here than it was in previous scoops, and it looks more advanced than on the current car.
We reckon Porsche will top off the changes with new wheels, and this tester had center-locking ones, with the crossed-drilled brake discs with white Porsche logos on the black calipers visible from behind their Y-spoke styling. The suspension was probably revised, though we will find out more about this topic and others once the car premieres, perhaps in a few months.
In the United States, the Porsche 911 (992) Targa comes in two variants: the 4 and 4S. The former features a six-pot making 379 hp (384 ps/283 kW) and 331 lb-ft (449 Nm) of torque, which can be revved up to 7,500 rpm. Porsche quotes the 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) time at 4.2 seconds and says it tops out at 179 mph (288 kph). The 4S boasts 443 hp (449 ps/330 kW) and 390 lb-ft (529 Nm), is 0.6 seconds faster, and has a 188 mph (303 kph) top speed.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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