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Porsche 911 Targa Turbo for Geneva debunked, 919 Hybrid and 911 RSR racers coming instead

Porsche has proven adept at making sure there is a version of its venerable 911 for practically any wealthy driver's desires. If you just want a great all-rounder then buy a standard 911; open-air driving, then the Cabriolet is for you, and if you need a compromise between them, there is even the new 911 Targa.
Gossip earlier this week surfaced on various websites that at next week's Geneva Motor Show, Porsche had designs on introducing an even higher-performance Targa variant, a Targa Turbo. The rumored mashup would combine the wide body from the 911 Turbo with the super-complicated power roof from the Targa (see right). Assuming no changes in power, that would mean 520 horsepower or even 560 hp in a Targa Turbo S model. Unfortunately, we're hearing that this tasty bit of scuttlebutt is incorrect. Autoblog asked Nick Twork, Porsche North America Product Communications Manager, about the rumor, and his response couldn't have been clearer: "Totally false."
Twork did elaborate that company will be "debuting the Porsche 919 Hybrid, our new LMP1 race car" at the Swiss show, and Stuttgart has also announced this morning that will show its 911 RSR racecar, too - either of which we reckon is a lot more exciting than another Targa variant.

2014 Porsche 911 GT3 [w/video]

The Bearable Lightness Of Being
Start with a standard Porsche 911 Carrera and its 350-horsepower, 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine. Bore a crepe-thin slice of aluminum from each cylinder to get to 3.8 liters, add a wider track out back and two extra exhaust pipes and voila, you can append an S to the Carrera's name. Hang two sets of wet, multi-disc clutches along its spine and you can make that a 4, or a 4S. Bolt on two forced-induction compressors and piping, add two fender vents and comically wide rear tires and you've redeemed your ticket to a Turbo. Increase the boost pressure and swell the corral to 560 horses and you have the Turbo S, which is the Virginia Slims of the 911 line-up because it's come a long way, baby.
Or you can go in a different direction. At that second stop, grab the 3.8-liter and cart it over to the engineers at Porsche's development center in Weissach, Germany. If racing were meat, they would be among the alpha carnivores. The baseboards in their homes are probably painted with miniature billboards for motor oil and vintage cigarettes along the straights, red-and-white stripes around every corner.

The mid-engine Porsche backstory

As an automaker's identity evolves over years, its signature becomes defined by any number of factors - heritage (Mercedes-Benz), image (Lamborghini), or market share (Toyota). In the case of Porsche, it was an engineering quirk that forged the German company's most enduring character trait.
Porsche would not have survived - let alone, thrived - in today's saturated landscape had it not been for the 911, and that slope-tailed sports car wouldn't have sprung to life without its predecessor, the 356. While phenomenal success of those rear-engine icons built the company, forays into the mid-engine configuration have played a significant part in establishing the brand's identity.
The Mid-Engine Prototype Of Ferry Porsche's Dreams