WHEN is a coupe cabriolet not a coupe-cabriolet? When it's a Porsche 911 Targa.
The steel roof does not retract like that of a Mercedes SL or SLK, so you might conclude that the 911 Targa is nothing more than a coupe with a big hole in the roof.
This is actually quite correct and indeed some folk may wonder precisely what is the point.
It is a valid question because whilst it is sometimes nice to feel the wind whistling above your head it is not a fully-fledged cabriolet experience by any means.
In a cabriolet you get gusts not only through your hair - if you have any - but also whooshing around your neck and shoulders.
The desire to experience this odd phenomenon may seem strange but then so does paying to be scared stiff on a roller coaster or going to horror movies.
Humans enjoy heightened experiences, which is what the 911 Targa endeavours to provide.
The idea is to achieve the best of both worlds with a roof that creates an opening as wide as the Channel Tunnel whilst still affording a degree of protection from the worst of the elements.
It operates with a pop-up glass hatch beneath which a twin-layered glass panel slides to reveal an opening that measures one and a half metres square.
There is a retractable blind to prevent the car from becoming a mobile greenhouse on sunny days and there is a pop-up wind deflector to help keep your sun glasses and contact lenses in place.
In the case of this latest Targa there is a dual choice of engines for the first time. The 3.6-litre version offers 324bhp while the larger 3.8-litre model manages 355bhp.
They both send power to all four wheels and there is slightly softer suspension to reflect the non-racing nature of this leisure-oriented motor.
That is not to say that either model is not fearsomely fast, with acceleration to 60mph around the five-second mark and top speeds of up to 180mph.
However, even mighty Porsche has not managed to overcome the age-old problem of wind noise and buffeting at motorway speeds and of course the massive sunblind has an impact on rear visibility.
As a car, the 911 is just about flawless and some would say probably the best sporting coupe or roadster that money can buy.
As a combination of the two it is a compromised offering whose shortcomings some will forgive whilst others will simply opt for the coupe or roadster and have done with it.
The 911 Coupe 3.8 Carrera 4S costs £69,900 and the Cabriolet is £76,880 in comparison to £77,370 for the Targa.
FAST FACTS
Porsche 911 Targa 4S
Price: £77,370
Mechanical: 355bhp, 3,824cc, 6cyl petrol engine driving all four wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 179mph
0-62mph: 4.9 secs
Combined mpg: 23.9
Insurance group: 20
CO2 emissions: 285g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 2yrs/ unlimited mileage, 3yrs paint, 10yrs anti-rust