Porsche 911 Targa by Theon Design review: Bright fantastic
Back in the 1960s, Automobile Engineer magazine expressed its fear that dark paint colours made cars more dangerous. Shades such as grey and black, it reasoned, could transform a vehicle into a ‘camouflaged weapon’.
The respected German car magazine Auto, Motor und Sport held a similar view. It suggested that sports cars should be painted in ‘signal colours’ to make them more visible. In Stuttgart, Porsche was all ears – and seemed only too happy to comply.
Signal Yellow is arguably the best-loved and brightest of these hues. Its heyday was the early 1970s, but it’s now back in the official Porsche palette, as seen on the final, special edition 911 Dakar – and on Theon Design’s latest project: a classic 911 Targa. Illuminating a dull November morning like a shot of concentrated sunshine, it might be the ‘safest’ car I’ve driven all year.
Hand-built and bespoke
Located on the eastern side of the Cotswolds, Theon Design has been crafting beautiful restomod Porsches since 2019. Each car starts life as a 964-generation (1989-1993) 911, then is stripped down and rebuilt – a process that takes around two years – to the buyer’s exact specification. The possibilities are endless, from carbon fibre body panels to a supercharged flat-six engine.
“A large part of our job is working with customers to imagine and design a car they perhaps didn’t know they wanted,” says Theon Design co-founder Lucinda Hawley. “And it’s not just the body or interior; we also tailor the engine and chassis setups to individual preferences. Each car is truly bespoke and reflects the owner’s personality.”
Known as ‘GBR005’, this is Theon Design’s second 911 Targa (the 13 other cars thus far are all coupes) and its fifth vehicle destined for the UK market. “The customer owns one of our coupes already, so he wanted something a bit softer and more GT-like,” explains fellow co-founder Adam Hawley. “Not that this is exactly a soft option.”
Lean and roofless
Hawley’s words are true in a literal sense, as the 911’s chassis is reinforced with a carbon fibre tub. “Put one side of a standard 964 Targa up on ramps and you can’t close the door. Its body will flex by about 12-13mm. Our car is massively more rigid; in the same scenario, the body only moves by 1mm.”
All the Porsche’s panels are also carbon fibre except the doors, which are still steel-skinned for crash protection (and because steel doors sound better when slammed). The iconic 911 shape is garnished with a front lip spoiler and a modest ducktail, plus steroid-pumped wheelarches that wrap tightly around 18-inch Fuchs-style rims. The retro roll hoop is ceramic coated to prevent unsightly fingerprints on its stainless steel surface, while the lift-out roof panel is neatly trimmed in black mohair.
In a regular 964 Targa, the roof fits diagonally in the ‘frunk’, taking up most of the available space. Cleverly, Theon Design has shortened the locating pins so that the panel can lie flat, leaving lots more room for luggage. A front strut brace helps stiffen the car’s chassis, too.
Inside Theon Design’s 911 Targa
Open the engine lid and, instead of a mass of black plastic and straggly wiring, the air-cooled six is presented to minimalist, show-car standard. Originally a 3.6-litre Carrera motor, its capacity has been stretched to 3.8 litres, with freer-flowing cylinder heads and a huge intake plenum to boost output to 407hp. Peak pulling power of 290lb ft arrives at 6,600rpm, although the torque curve is remarkably flat across the rev range (Adam shows me a dyno printout as proof).
In another 1970s throwback, the Targa’s interior is trimmed in tartan, although its yellow and grey combo looks restrained compared to some of Porsche’s efforts at the time (bright red and blue, anyone?). Theon Design’s more sculpted rear chairs are modelled on those in the 928, while its custom green dials hark back to the earliest 911s. Other neat touches include the reshaped Alcantara door cards, dished Nardi steering wheel and wireless phone charger, which connects to a Bluetooth audio system.
From the driver’s seat, GBR005 still feels like a classic 911, with an upright windscreen and floor-hinged pedals that are awkwardly offset to the left. No 964 Carrera ever sounded like this, though. Trundling through Cotswold villages, the naturally aspirated engine minds its manners, but stretch it beyond 3,500rpm with more than 40 percent throttle and baffles in the ceramic-coated tailpipes open up, unleashing a brutal metallic howl. Needless to say, it sounds even better with the roof off.
Get yourself connected
Despite having half the power of some modern supercars, a kerb weight of only 1,198kg makes the 911 seem lively and light on its feet – helped by near-perfect 48:52 weight distribution. Its five-stage electronically adjustable TracTive suspension has enough bandwidth for everything from race circuits to crumbling country lanes, while its 964 RS-derived brakes are progressive and powerful.
Above all, it’s the subjective, intangible stuff that sets cars like GBR005 apart from newer alternatives – let alone fire-and-forget performance EVs. Its hydraulic steering jostles with incessant feedback, its six-speed manual ’box shifts with mechanical precision and its chassis feels exploitable at sane speeds. There’s a wonderful sense of connection between you and the car.
This all comes at a price, of course: £410,000 for a coupe or £430,000 for a Targa, on top of which you can add 20 percent VAT and the cost of a donor car. But no Porsche restomod is cheap and Theon Design’s are among the very best. The quality of the company’s work is impossible to fault.
Targa or a Theon R?
The next project for Adam, Lucinda and their small team is the Theon R, an ultra-light 911 road racer that will produce upwards of 500hp and weigh less than 1,000kg, with trick parts such as carbon fibre and magnesium wheels.
One of those for Sunday morning blasts, plus a Targa for longer road trips, sounds like a very fine two-car garage indeed.
Tim Pitt writes for motoringresearch.com