Matchbox Porsche 911 Targa – So Close, Yet So Far

Throughout history, a number of great philosophers have asked pressing questions about the human condition, about our place in the universe and the nature of conciousness…which prompts me to ask: is a Targa without its targa still a Targa? 

Ok, I may not be Renee Descartes, but I think that will be the main question people ask when they see this model.  Somehow, Matchbox managed to make a model of the 911 Targa that lacks the car’s definitive styling feature (the one for which it gets its name!), instantly turning one of the most exciting models of the year into one of the most disappointing.  The omission of the silver Targa rollbar is so glaring that it almost doesn’t matter whether the casting is otherwise any good. 

That’s unfortunate, because this is actually quite a good casting and it’s clear that a lot of effort went into it!  Matchbox probably could have gotten away with reusing the 911 Cabriolet casting for use in the Targa, but they went through the trouble of completely remodeling the car.  Note the difference in the front fascia, particularly the radar cruise control sensor.  The headlights look great as well, and this blue color is the perfect blend of shouty and classy for a 911 Targa.

The back of the 911 Targa is similarly excellent, with loads of detailing and even the 911 Targa 4 script on the rear bumper.  I’m especially fond of these exhausts, which stand out and look wonderfully aggressive. 

Then you look at it from the side, and I’m sorry, but this just does not look like a Targa.  The styling element that makes this car instantly identifiable is missing!  Sure, its molded into the clear plastic, but without silver detailing it’s hard to even tell that it’s there…

What makes this doubly frustrating is that this situation never should have happened.  It feels like such an unnecessary self-own.  Clearly, the reason for the lack of silver detailing is to save on cost (as is the full plastic roof section if we’re being honest), but why bother making the 911 Targa if you knew you wouldn’t be able to give it the detailing it needed?  We already have a new 911 Cabriolet casting in the range this year and it’s fantastic, so the 911 fans already had something to be excited about.  If the Matchbox team wanted to make another Porsche 911, why not make the 911 Speedster?  That wouldn’t have needed a roof section at all and would have looked absolutely fantastic with front and rear detailing!  Frankly, if they really wanted to model the Targa specifically, it probably should have been in the Moving Parts line where the increased budget would have allowed them to give it the detailing it deserves. 

Unfortunately, it’s not as though we can just hope for a Collectors series release for this model, because while that would likely receive full detailing, it’s also virtually guaranteed to be ruined by Matchbox’s performance car unfriendly premium wheels.  That means we’re stuck hoping for a lightning-in-a-bottle release like the one fully detailed white-and-black release of the Audi R8.  I hope the Matchbox team finds a way to bring us that one perfect release of this model, because it is a great casting that truly deserves a proper treatment.  Until then, here are some mock-ups of what this 911 Targa could have looked like…