What Are Targa Tops On Corvettes And Do All Models Have Them?

Car enthusiasts will be quick to tell you that convertible tops slow a car down, and this has truth to it thanks to the mechanics it takes to work a traditional convertible top. The heavier the car, the slower it becomes. One solution to removing the folding fabric and heavy components of a convertible sports car is employing a targa top. This 1960s invention had drivers mount a panel to a roll hoop, creating a more rigid and lighter solution for those who still wanted the opportunity to let in some air overhead without much performance or safety. 

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Many sports cars have adopted the targa top since, including the 1993 Honda Del Sol and the 2021 Porsche 911. But the Corvette has been widely known for implementing the targa top in the majority of its models since the 1960s when the style was invented. While targa tops aren’t really standard anymore due to newer convertible concepts, the Corvette has sported them through the decades, starting with the C3 Stingray in the late ’60s and ranging to the Corvette C8 stingray convertible. The only Corvettes that don’t offer targa tops are the hard top C5 and the C6 Z06 and ZR1, which attempted to further reduce weight. 

The term “targa top” is inspired by the Targa Florio, a scenically beautiful and extremely dangerous car race created and run by Vincenzo Florio as a speed race from 1906 to 1977, and then as a rally racing competition starting in 1978. It’s one of the world’s oldest races, taking place in the winding hills of the Italian countryside outside of Palermo, Sicily. The incredibly difficult and chaotic race originally spanned 277 miles of sharp curves and steep elevations. 

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Most of the cars competing in the Targa Florio were open-top, featuring rivalries from big names like Bugatti, Ferrari, and Porsche. Porsche claimed the most victories during the span of the race’s lifetime, which is why the 1967 Porsche 911 was given the targa name for this style roof as an honor. It wasn’t the first car to use a targa top, but it’s credited with being the first model to call it that. 

Nine deaths occurred at the Targa Florio over the years, including both racers and bystanders. This includes the year 1977, when a driver crashed into a crowd, killing two onlookers. A resulting demand for better safety saw the end of the original Targa Florio. However, the convertible style named after the difficult open-top racing event lives on in vehicles like the Corvette.

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