longhornchris04 |
06-18-2009 09:26 AM |
Playa - Targas are removable tops with a rollbar. Porsche went to the targa when safety laws changed / threatened to change. While Porsche wasn't the first, they were the most popular - hence the term Targa-top being used on other makes. Targa Top (wiki) T-tops were also common during this time.
For those that wanted a true cabriolet, it was common to buy a targa and chop the rollbar. This is because the Targas have a stronger (and consequently heavier) lower "frame" (it still a unit-body car) to keep the car rigid, where the coupes use the upper roof structure to provide rigidity. That said, the rollbar is still a critical structural component and a chopped targa is much weaker than a true cabriolet, which had additional structural rigidity to copensate for the lack of a targa bar.
Note - this is true with most vehicles. A true convertable usually has significant structural differences from a coupe, and a chopped coupe is almost always a bad idea unless the shop doing it knows how to reinforce the structure (hard on unit-body design).
So, the VIN says its a Targa, its been converted to a Cab. I think that should be noted in the description, but hey, its buyer beware on Ebay.
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