Good things come to those who wait as this Targa 50th Anniversary Edition is my first time driving a 911, and of course it’s based on the Targa 4 GTS. Could this be the one to offer most of what the Turbo S has to offer minus the jail-baiting pace?
In early January of 2017 I started as an intern at CAR Magazine fresh out of university and a few weeks later I was absolutely blown away by the fact that the international launch of the 991.2 GTS was hosted right here in Cape Town. The then deputy editor Terence Steenkamp arrived at the office after having attended the event and was beaming from the experience and the team discussed the significance of the turbocharged GTS. Since that day I developed an affinity towards the 911 GTS and the Targa specifically. Just a few hundred metres from my home the image below was taken as part of the international press package and in February 2017 I set it as my personal PC wallpaper as well as my Facebook cover image.
With my driving position set just right and my preferred playlist selected using the Android Auto app, it was time to finally time to lower the magnificent folding roof and leave the concreate confines of the Century City area drive. Mimicking a professional team of synchronised swimmers the coordinated dance of the roof folding is something to behold. It takes 19 seconds to complete and is well worth pulling over and watching from the outside as a double-click on the key fob can initiate the process remotely. Inside you see the customised 50th Anniversary plate lining the side-sill as you step inside and lower yourself in. Wow, this car is low and the seats are covered in a tasteful chequered fabric. It’s a rune that motoring journalists prefer cloth seats and I unashamedly fall into this category.
There’s an air of quality and ergonomic awareness the switches and dials for example are intuitive to use tactile and satisfying to operate. Usually it takes me around 10 minutes or more to get to know where to reset the trip computer, pair my phone and customise my preferred driver settings. The Mk8 Golf GTI left me boiling in the cabin for a full 30 minutes before I could figure out where to turn the A/C on. From the window switches, the steering wheel controls, shift paddles, rotary drive-mode selector, volume control and buttons for the climate control all have a solid click that demand you to slow down and consciously press and click with a firmness that can’t be done by mistake.
Having set off up the N7 and taken the scenic route towards Stellenbosch, I had some time to get into a rhythm behind the wheel. I left the drivetrain in normal mode where the suspension remains in its most supple setting and the exhaust remains hushed below 4 000 r/min.
However, send the analogue centrally-mounted needle beyond that mark and the sports exhaust is automatically engaged offering that unmistakable spine-tingling flat-six howl that is heard at race circuits all around the world. After painstakingly navigating a variety of detours and road closures thanks it being the same Sunday that the massive cycle race was hosted, the higher-reaches of the magnificent Helshoogte pass finally comes into view. It’s flowing ‘esses’ come up as the first opportunity to turn the drive-mode switch two clicks to the right and experience Sports Plus mode for the fast and fluid incline.
Stay tuned for part 3…
