The word “targa” has several meanings in Italian. It’s a tablet, a ceremonial shield or plaque, and also what Italians call their license plates. And, most relevant to us, it’s in the name of Italy’s second-most celebrated road race, the Targa Florio, which Porsche dominated in the 1960s before a rapidly rising body count finally ended it. When Porsche produced its first open-top 911 at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show, it bore the name Targa ostensibly as a tribute to the company’s Targa Florio victories but also, no doubt, because an Italian saying the word sounds like a cheetah growling: “TAR-grrr!” And Pontiac had already—perhaps criminally—pilfered the name Le Mans. *READ MORE ››*
Reported by Car and Driver 8 hours ago.
The word “targa” has several meanings in Italian. It’s a tablet, a ceremonial shield or plaque, and also what Italians call their license plates. And, most relevant to us, it’s in the name of Italy’s second-most celebrated road race, the Targa Florio, which Porsche dominated in the 1960s before a rapidly rising body count finally ended it. When Porsche produced its first open-top 911 at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show, it bore the name Targa ostensibly as a tribute to the company’s Targa Florio victories but also, no doubt, because an Italian saying the word sounds like a cheetah growling: “TAR-grrr!” And Pontiac had already—perhaps criminally—pilfered the name Le Mans. *READ MORE ››*
Reported by Car and Driver 8 hours ago.