Ferrari: brevetto "Targa Top"

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It signals a potential return to the bodystyle for the Italian carmaker after a 20-year hiatus.

 

The patent application refers to “a car with a ‘Targa Top’ body” that features a “coupe body with a rigid roof that is removable and is supported at the front by the upright of the windshield and at the rear by a robust full-width roll bar”.

The Targa top style that Ferrari refers to is similar to that currently used by Porsche on the 911, but the new patent refers to the specific design and engineering involved. It proposes decreasing the aerodynamic turbulence associated with Targa tops by increasing the height of the windscreen upright, with a possible false insert that is installed when the roof is removed.

 

Ferrari claims that a Targa-style production car would be “free from the aforementioned drawbacks” as well as being “easy and inexpensive to manufacture”.

It’s not known yet whether an existing Ferrari model will benefit from the new removable roof design, and the patent drawings illustrate an old F430 for reference. That mid-engined V8 model is a predecessor to the 488 GTB, and could potentially signify a return to the format that the 355 Targa of the 1990s last demonstrated.

The 355 was the last Targa-style Ferrari in mass production, although limited-run models such as the 575 Superamerica and LaFerrari Aperta were produced in small quantities since that car. A targa-topped 488 would sit alongside the existing GTB and Spider convertible in the range, expanding a lineup that makes up a significant part of Ferrari’s annual sales.

Lawrence Allan 

 

Via Autocar.co.uk