Road Test: Porsche 911 S 2dr

Up close, and with no regular 997s in sight, the new Targa does look pretty good too. It's 44mm wider than the stock car at the rear, so there's a definite presence here. That slightly awkward tapering roof persists though, with the all-too-obvious shutline that's reminiscent of a cabriolet with a hard-top.

New to this model is an aluminium strip running the length of the roof - a bold detail for sure, but one so pronounced that it comes across as some sort of admission by Porsche that the Targa's profile is still a problem. However much we might nit-pick though, it turns more than enough heads, so your archetypal Targa buyer isn't going to flinch.

And he's not going to feel short-changed on the roof, either. This time round, Porsche has designed a two-stage switch that operates both the sliding glass and a mesh sun visor beneath. A light push retracts the visor, while a firmer one fully opens the 1.5 square metres of glass.

Windows down and roof back, the Targa feels almost cabriolet-like in its airiness, but there's that vital extra level of cosseting at speed. You can cruise at cop-baiting pace with the roof fully retracted and it's still just about possible to talk to your passenger. Batten everything down again and the refinement is right up there with the coupe and the cops are in the weeds.

But there are more reasons for this than just a nicely machined roof. Further to our ever-so-slightly cynical suspicion that the Targa is a soft option, it turns out Porsche has actually lowered the spring rates to increase comfort.

If the purists get wind of that you'll never hear the end of it, but it does make for an effortless cruiser, and with the sun on your brow offsetting the occasional lungful of diesel particulates, you can feel pretty bloody good about the world in a 997 Targa.

So the hang-ups are these: 'Porsche people' won't respect you in a Targa, it looks a bit odd in profile and an 'S' version like this costs £77,370, a hefty £5,390 more than the standard 4S. Oh, and when the roof is retracted rear visibility is almost non-existent.

But from the right angle, and in the right frame of mind, it still looks, sounds and goes like a proper Porker. And you can't complain about more headroom than a normal 997, greater luggage space and a handy glass hatchback to access it.

The hardcore will bemoan the lack of focus, but stick the Targa in Sport mode and there's more than enough to be getting on with. That 355bhp, 3.8-litre flat-six is as awe-inspiring as it ever was, and with both the elements and the exhaust note encroaching that bit more, it never fails to feel just that bit too fast.

For all that, though, it's still hard to imagine lofty old Walter buying one. If the standard 997 didn't exist, you might see his hallowed head poking out of a glass roof on an autobahn somewhere. But it does exist, so you probably won't.