What's the news?

That latest member of the ever-expanding Porsche 911 family has been unveiled at the NAIAS in Detroit. The new generation Targa model will sit between the Coupé and Cabriolet in the manufacturer's line-up when it arrives on these shores in May.

Exterior

Porsche's designers have taken inspiration from the original Targa model from 1967 with the fixed B-pillar making a welcome return. This has been joined by a convex rear screen that is said to have been constructed from extremely lightweight laminated glass. And it would need to be, as, with a flick of a switch, the single piece glass lifts up to allow the cloth top to be stowed beneath it, behind the rear seats. The whole process takes 19 seconds and can only be completed at standstill (the window would act as an air-brake otherwise) during which time the driver can manually erect a wind deflector to reduce buffeting when back on the move.

Mechanicals

In a move that has been suggested as Porsche making the Targa model more upmarket it will only be offered with four-wheel drive. This mean the range kicks off with the 350hp Targa 4. Power is derived from a 3.4-litre flat-six engine that can shift the car from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 175mph. Fuel economy is between 29.7- and 32.5mpg depending on whether it's equipped with a manual or PDK transmission with emissions suitably shifting between 204- and 223g/km.

Under the bonnet (is it still called a bonnet when it's mounted at the rear?) of the Targa 4S is a 3.8-litre flat-six that churns out 400hp resulting in 0.4 seconds being shaved off the 0-62mph time. Again, depending on transmission, fuel economy is between 28.2- and 30.7mpg and emissions between 214- and 237g/km.

As standard the Targa will be fitted with leather sports seats, automatic climate control, bi-Xenon headlights, a seven-inch colour touch-screen, Porsche Stability Management (PSM) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM). The Targa 4S model adds 20-inch alloy wheels, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with rear limited slip differential.

Anything else?

The new 911 Targa models are available to order from Porsche Centres from today, with first cars arriving in showrooms in May. The Targa 4 is priced from £86,281 while the Targa 4S is priced from £96,316.