What made the Targa Florio unique?
The targa florio was the world’s oldest and toughest sports car race. Using public roads, it wound through and around sicily, including over the daunting and spectacular madonie mountains. The roads were treacherous with 1100 metres of elevation change and were often poorly surfaced. After 1973, it was a national sports car event until it was discontinued in 1977 due to safety concerns. It has since been run as targa florio rally, a rallying event, and is part of the italian rally championship.
Why is it called a Targa?
Roll the side windows down and boom, cabriolet. Porsche needed a name for this new type of vehicle and after some back-to-forth discussion within the product development and marketing teams, the term Targa was derived from the Targa Florio, a Sicilian road race where Porsche had much success in the 1950s. Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full-width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG.It is known for its distinctive, removable roof panel, which provides an open-air driving experience while retaining the structural rigidity of a coupe. Targa Porsche is a significant car in the automotive industry due to its unique design, engineering, and performance capabilities.