A Closer Look at Porsche Heritage Design
Porsche has always been more than just a lifestyle. When applied to Porsche design, this means: no future without heritage. With every new model, it’s important to maintain a connection to the past. There’s a little piece of 356 and 911 in every new model. And every new model takes inspiration from the diverse history of our brand. Sometimes it’s merely nuances – and yet these shape the character and overall impression of each new design.
With our Heritage Design strategy, we at Porsche are now continuing this approach even more consistently and emotionally, with even greater customer focus. We’re bringing back the Porsche brand’s most popular design features, colors and materials of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Not 1:1, of course, but composed by our designers with great attention to detail, and reinterpreted to perfectly emphasize – and complement – the timeless modern character of the 911.
911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition
Sometimes looks say more than a thousand words: anyone who is out on the road with the new Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition will know what I am talking about. People meet you with a sense of familiarity and delight, combined with just a touch of astonishment: “What kind of car is that?” they ask. It’s understandable – many design elements recall the purist 550 and early 356 models, as well as the first Targa cars of the early 1960s. But this is in fact an ultra-modern Porsche 911 of the current age.
Engineer and highly sought-after sports cars appraiser and classics vehicle expert, Laura Kukuk, takes a closer look at the story behind the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design:
As an appraiser and classic car expert, I am extremely lucky to spend my working days examining and testing some very special vehicles. Alongside the technical aspects, much of my work is focused on checking the originality of the details. I also conduct extensive research into a vehicle’s history, because a car comes to life only when its story is known. In my line of work, a passion for detail is an absolute must and that is exactly where I would like to start here – with the details.
In order to study the special elements of the Heritage Design Edition, I have taken an early Targa model from 1971 with a 2.2-litre engine and black/black Pepita seats to use as a reference. With the two cars side by side, many parallels are noticeable. Let’s start with the wheels: on one car, the classic Fuchs rim – the world’s first forged aluminum wheel. On the other, a modern interpretation that brings the design firmly into the 21st century.
Inside, is a two-tone interior; seat panels and interior door trims made of corduroy; a perforated leather roofline; and leather-trimmed A-pillars and instruments. A visual highlight is the historic Porsche crest, which can be found on the steering wheel, head restraints and center armrest.
Another detail that I really want to emphasize, and which is also based on the early models, is the traditional Porsche analogue rev counter, which features the typical green digits of the 1950s, just like the stopwatch. Now, if that is not attention to detail. The Cherry Metallic paintwork of this car is ideally matched to the two-tone interior and works in harmony with the corduroy of the seats and interior door trim panels.
Inside, is a two-tone interior; seat panels and interior door trims made of corduroy; a perforated leather roofline; and leather-trimmed A-pillars and instruments. A visual highlight is the historic Porsche crest, which can be found on the steering wheel, head restraints and center armrest.
Another detail that I really want to emphasize, and which is also based on the early models, is the traditional Porsche analogue rev counter, which features the typical green digits of the 1950s, just like the stopwatch. Now, if that is not attention to detail. The Cherry Metallic paintwork of this car is ideally matched to the two-tone interior and works in harmony with the corduroy of the seats and interior door trim panels.
Having spent some time with the car, I can say that the Heritage Design Edition succeeds in combining the best historic aspects and details of the early Targa and reinterpreting them using state-of-the-art technology. With its references to the 1950s and 60s, the 992 cleverly transports a feeling of heritage into the present. The result is a modern vehicle offering plenty of comfort, while lovingly combining the feelings evoked by the first models.
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