Road Test: Porsche 911 2dr

Welcome to Klagenfurt in sleepy, clean Austria and its awfully pleasant environs. And welcome, too, to an awfully pleasant way of enjoying those environs - the new Porsche 911 Targa.

And there is something fundamentally different about it. Previous Targa incarnations were based on the Cabriolet; this one is based on the Coupe. Forming the frame for the glassware are reinforced A-pillars (just like the Cabrio) and, on either side, a steel tube runs along and down to become the rear pillar, creating a new-shaped rear window.

The roof is of the same stuff as the windscreen: pre-tensioned, splinter-free laminated glass. Whispering electric motors slide the roof back and forth in just eight seconds. If you want to show off, press a little button on the key fob and do it remotely while standing beside it. Even the furling and unfurling of the cloth sunblind is electrically operated.

Such comfort and convenience adds up to extra weight, but not much. The Targa is 70 kilos heavier than the normal coupe. On this test example, its handicap is offset by new-design, even-lighter alloy wheels which cut down on the unsprung mass. Better news is that the coupe's slippery aerodynamics - Cd 0.30 - remains unaffected by the Targa's modified bodywork.

There is a performance deficit. The manual-transmission Targa will hit 62mph in 5.2 seconds, 0.2 seconds slower than the standard Carrera 2 coupe. I can live with that, especially as the top speed of 177mph remains unaffected.

Out on the roads, I have to keep reminding myself this rear-drive-only Targa is not a tin-top. There's no body flexing, very little wind or tyre noise, just the growl of the gorgeously torquey 3.6-litre flat six engine whenever I get the urge to give it the gas. Which is often.

Sliding the roof back, a wind deflector comes up at the leading edge and if the wind noise has increased slightly, there's no buffeting. When the roof is down, rear visibility is affected, but then there has to be one gripe, doesn't there? There's one thing I haven't yet mentioned. It's got a hatchback - unique for a 911. Poke a button on the dash, or do that flash remote key fob thing again and a fastener is released, allowing the rear screen to be lifted up and offering access to the rear of the cabin.

Space behind those weeny rear seats has been increased a tad. Fold the pews down and there's even space for a set of golf clubs. Though why anyone would want to stop driving this car to prat around on a golf course is beyond me.

Colin Ryan