Here's how Porsche 911 Targa sports car got its name

Cars and bikes come with unique names and some are even difficult to pronounce or remember but most of them have their own unique stories. Often auto enthusiasts figure out the origin of a vehicle's name but there are times when auto company should make the fans aware of it. And Porsche did just that. The manufacturer took to Twitter to explain why it uses the Targa name on some of its models.

The company borrowed the name from Targa Florio - which was the name of a race in Southern Italy where Porsche once competed. “This iconic glass-topped model was named after the Targa Florio race. A race in southern Italy where Porsche turned in some of its most famous performances," the carmaker wrote on its Twitter handle. Porsche participated in the Targa Florio race in the early 1950s where it earned itself some prestigious titles.

The word Targa in Italian means number plate or license plate. However, the carmaker did not know about this translation until the copywriters worked on the sales brochure. In 1965, Porsche applied for a Targa trademark and in the following year, Targa joined the Porsche 911 lineup.

The Porsche Targa 911 was also considered to be called the 911 Flori. However, the company’s Head of Domestic Sales, Harald Wagner, suggested Porsche name it the Targa.

The 911 Targa model offered a fixed, heated rear safety glass window in 1967. It replaced the fold-down plastic unit, and became a standard feature for the car. This continued for the second and third generation before the 911 Targa underwent massive changes for the fourth-gen. The model’s roll bar disappeared from the design and was gone for a while. It did not make a return until the seventh-generation that launched in early 2011. In May 2020, Porsche introduced the eight-generation 911 Targa in 4 and 4S configurations.