Update 11/13/18: This 912 Soft-window Targa sold for $50,217.99.
I began my post on a recent 993 Turbo S by stating, “this is everything.” In a very different way my reaction to this Golden Green 1967 Porsche 912 Soft-window Targa is similar. For pure lust the Turbo S certainly wins the day, but some of the allure of that car was in the details and that is where the overlap lies with this 912. There is enough here to pore over that interested parties could spend hours simply looking through these pictures.
We’ll begin with the color. Golden Green is not a color I’ve seen before. It only was available for a couple years in the ’60s and generally isn’t one that we come across among the many PTS 911s that have been produced since. It is sort of in the vein of Lindgrün (also called Chartreuse) that was produced in the ’70s though Golden Green doesn’t look as bright to me. As the name suggests it possesses a yellow/gold hue to its non-metallic green. That golden hue allows it to change kind of dramatically from sun to shade. The pictures here do a pretty good job of capturing that transformation. This is said to be the only Soft-window Targa produced in 1967 in this color with only 4 others made in 1968. So it’s very rare. I don’t know how many Coupes might also exist, but as I said this is the first I have seen it so I’m guessing there aren’t many.
The other part of this is the Soft-window Targa itself, Porsche’s answer to what they thought would be the death of the open-roofed car. Such tragedies never befell the car industry and the soft rear window eventually was replaced with the glass rear with which we’re all very familiar on 911 Targas even to this day. But the SWT is an interesting design and interesting engineering answer to a potential problem. They make for great historical models and given their short production run are quite rare in themselves. So there’s a good bit going on here and the seller has provided quite a few pictures to document this Targa’s condition. Add to all of that it is up for auction without reserve.
