Two new Porsches for 2002
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

The Porsche Carrera 4S with all-wheel-drive arrives next year

If you are a guy you already know this fact. If you are female I am about to let you into one of our male secrets. When we are driving or walking and our heads turn, its not to look at a pretty girl. It’s most probably to look at a Porsche. The cars do something to the male. I don’t know what it is exactly but it’s something.

Last week Porsche announced that two all new cars will debut in North America in January. An all-new 911 Carrera Targa and 911 Carrera 4S will offer Porsche customers a third 911 Carrera body style in addition to the 911 Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet models, as well as introduce some unique attributes.

Porsche has not offered a 911 Targa in North America since 1997. The all-new 911 Carrera Targa expands on the concept of the previous model, which featured a large power-operated sliding glass roof that slid under the rear window. In the all-new 911 Carrera Targa, the sliding glass roof panel covers nearly five square feet, or about twice the area of the standard sunroof on the 911 Carrera Coupe. Two electric motors open the glass roof almost silently.

The biggest difference from the previous 911 Carrera Targa is that the rear window in the new model is hinged to open, providing convenient access to the rear luggage compartment. In the new 911 Carrera Targa, folding the rear seatbacks down provides access to 8.1 cubic feet of cargo space, compared to 7.1 cubic feet in the 911 Carrera Coupe.

Like the redesigned 911 Carrera models that Porsche is introducing for 2002, the all-new 911 Carrera Targa shares the new 911 Turbo-inspired front-end styling and new 3.6-liter, 320-horsepower engine, along with interior enhancements. The new 911 Carrera Targa model weighs about 150 pounds more than the 911 Carrera Coupe and will accelerate from zero-to-62 mph in just 5.2 seconds, compared to 5.0 seconds for the Coupe. North American pricing and availability of the new model will be announced at a later date.

Porsche unveiled the first 911 Targa model at the Frankfurt show in 1965 and introduced it to North American customers in 1967. Named for the Italian Targa Florio road race where Porsche had enjoyed much success, the 911 Targa model presented a truly innovative approach to open-air motoring (there was no 911 Cabriolet until 1984).

The first 911 Targa featured a large, removable hard roof section over the doors. A stainless-steel-covered structural hoop over the mid-section of the car provided both additional body reinforcement and a unique (and often imitated) design element. Behind the hoop, a soft roof section folded down under a tonneau cover. For 1968, buyers could choose a fixed, wraparound glass rear window on the 911 Targa, and this became a standard feature for 1972.

The 911 Carrera Targa model continued with this body configuration until 1993, and Porsche introduced the sliding glass roof on the 1996 911 Carrera Targa.

Taking the place of the 911 Carrera 4 Coupe in the North American Porsche model line for 2002, the 911 Carrera 4S combines that model’s all-wheel drive system with design and chassis features from the 911 Turbo. Like the redesigned 911 Carrera models recently introduced for 2002, the Carrera 4S features 911 Turbo-inspired front-end styling and the new 3.6-liter, 320-horsepower engine, along with interior enhancements. The Carrera 4S is distinguished from other 2002 Porsche 911 models by an exclusive red light strip that connects the rear taillights.

Underneath, the 911 Carrera 4S inherits the suspension tuning and larger-diameter brake rotors from the 911 Turbo. It can accelerate from zero-to-62 mphin just 5.1 seconds, and can be equipped with either the standard six-speed manual transmission or the advanced Tiptronic® S five-speed automatic system that also allows manual shifting control.

North American pricing and availability of both new 911 models will be announced at a later date and we will have to wait until next year to see the cars.

Until these new models allive, all the current Porsche models can be seen and test driven at Rusnak Porsche in the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall.