Every 911 is an exceptional automobile. Every once in a while however Porsche hits an absolute home run. Their first one was the 911SC. While all the subsequent 911 variants are faster, none had that perfect balance of actual measured performance with perceived performance feel. The 993 is a much faster car. It is also heavier and as a result has to be driven a whole lot faster and yet still not give you the feeling you get driving a good SC.
The next one to nail it was the 997. The best of the 997 coming towards the end, the 997.2 GTS and C4S.
The 997 was I think the first 911 to use PASM. The first one I drove had PASM and it was incredible! I will never forget accelerating around a curve. Normally the faster you go the more you need to steer to maintain the same line due to tire squirm and suspension changes. With PASM it was exhilirating to feel the car accelerate as if on rails with virtually no additional steering input! Marvelous!
The 997 was also when Porsche finally got awd down. Before this their awd always gave the feeling of something mechanical going on. Not that it didn’t work incredibly well. The Turbo I drove was impressive. It was just the feeling of clutches and stuff working that was a bit off-putting. The 997.2 C4S however was darn near perfect!
I drove one back to back with a 997 GTS and was surprised to find the C4S had just as good steering feel and car balance as the GTS! Frankly, in terms of balance and handling, the ability to push hard and not feel like pushing hard, the 997.2 C4S was quite a bit better than the GTS!
Your Targa is basically a C4S. Heavier, not as much body stiffness, but a far cry from the "flexible flyer" of air-cooled Targa days. It was a lot of work to find, there are never a lot of Targas around. So give yourself a big pat on the back for finding yours. Not only is it a great car, but now going nowhere but up in value. As I’m sure you already know!
The next one to nail it was the 997. The best of the 997 coming towards the end, the 997.2 GTS and C4S.
The 997 was I think the first 911 to use PASM. The first one I drove had PASM and it was incredible! I will never forget accelerating around a curve. Normally the faster you go the more you need to steer to maintain the same line due to tire squirm and suspension changes. With PASM it was exhilirating to feel the car accelerate as if on rails with virtually no additional steering input! Marvelous!
The 997 was also when Porsche finally got awd down. Before this their awd always gave the feeling of something mechanical going on. Not that it didn’t work incredibly well. The Turbo I drove was impressive. It was just the feeling of clutches and stuff working that was a bit off-putting. The 997.2 C4S however was darn near perfect!
I drove one back to back with a 997 GTS and was surprised to find the C4S had just as good steering feel and car balance as the GTS! Frankly, in terms of balance and handling, the ability to push hard and not feel like pushing hard, the 997.2 C4S was quite a bit better than the GTS!
Your Targa is basically a C4S. Heavier, not as much body stiffness, but a far cry from the "flexible flyer" of air-cooled Targa days. It was a lot of work to find, there are never a lot of Targas around. So give yourself a big pat on the back for finding yours. Not only is it a great car, but now going nowhere but up in value. As I’m sure you already know!