The 2021 Porsche 911 Targa is coming - now we know when

Porsche will reveal its hotly-anticipated 2021 911 Targa on May 18, the automaker has confirmed, after coronavirus forced two delays for the convertible's debut. The new Targa had meant to have its unveil at the Beijing Motor Show 2020, but that ended up being cancelled. The backup plan was to bring the new car to the Tennis Grand Prix, but that ended up getting cancelled as well.

Even just taking the new 911 Targa to the Porsche museum ended up a problem, because that has only just re-opened as part of COVID-19 containment measures. Since a new 911 waits for no-one, Porsche is doing the obvious thing and looking instead to a digital unveil on Monday, May 18th, 2020.

The Targa remains something of a curiosity in the 911 line-up, though a popular one. The name was born back with the 1966 911 Targa, which had a a fixed rear window and a removable roof panel. In 1996, the Porsche 993 Targa introduced a retractable glass roof, which could be pulled back underneath the rear window.

Come the Porsche 991 and the 2014 Targa, it was time for a different design. In a somewhat mesmerizing orchestration of mechanics and hydraulics, the whole rear glasshouse lifts up and slides back. That allows a powered roof panel to itself lift, and then fold away behind the rear seats. The glass section returns, leaving the driver open to the elements.

For the 2021 Porsche 911 Targa, the expectation is that it'll follow in the same sort of style. That means a mechanized rear glass section and a folding fabric roof that tidies itself away underneath.

Which variants of the 992 will be offered as a Targa remains to be seen. The likelihood is that the 992 Targa 4 and 4S will arrive first; there, we've seen traditional 911 Cabriolet versions, along with the coupes, so far.

It's been almost two years since we first saw this generation of 911, back at the LA Auto Show 2018. Porsche took the opportunity to make its styling crisper and cleaner, building on the iconic 911 aesthetic and then loading it up with new technology to go with the traditional rear engine and wedge-like shape. Slightly wider and longer than the 991.2 before it, the LED headlamps and trunk-spanning light bar instantly mark it out as the new-generation car.

Since then, we've seen several variants arrive, from the entry-level 911 Carrera through to the range-topping 911 Turbo S. The outgoing 911 Targa is priced from $110,300, which gives you a ballpark for where to expect this new 2021 model to land when we see it from next week.