What's the difference?

 

I thought that "TARGA TOP" was a generic name but accepted just like "cressant" means adjustable wrench or "Kleenex" means tissue.

BTW my C6 "removeable top" has never made any noise

 

Can anyone recommend a good silicone-based dressing for the rubber?

 

It is accepted generally, everyone knows what it means sure.

But you wont find it anywhere in GM literature about the Corvette.

It is like saying go Xerox something when you work at Canon.

 

"Targa" is a registered trademark of Porsche.
GM will never use the term. Period.

Other then that, annoying guys like me that point it out.

 

If we are going to hijack this thread, may as well go all the way:
History of the targa:

"Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The rear window can be fixed or removable, making it a convertible. In common usage, any piece of metal or trim which rises up from the side of a car and continues in an uninterrupted line over the roof and down the other side may be called a targa band, or sometimes a wrapover band. Targa tops are different from T-tops, which have a solid, non-removable bar running between the passenger and driver sides of the car.

The word targa first came into use from the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, though the first production car with this system as an option was actually released five years before, namely the 1961 Triumph TR4. The name was first adopted by Porsche after the Targa Florio road race in which they entered, used type of body style to allow a quicker entry and exit to the car by drivers in 1962 and many race cars adopted it especially Ford and its bitter rival at the time, Ferrari in the '60s and early 70's for twistier road courses.

This body style became popular in the 1970s, when the DOT in the United States attempted to ban convertibles, due to concerns when the car is overturned. As a result, manufacturers adopted Targa tops or T bars. As Porsche helped to popularise this body style, they took out a trademark for the Targa name and manufacturers sought to look for alternative names for their removable roof.

1996 and saw the debut of a retractable glass roof, a design continued on the 996 Targa. The glass roof would retract underneath the rear window revealing a large opening. A shade was there to help prevent the greenhouse effect of the closed roof. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and finished with the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system. The Targa has the body of the Cabriolet with the Targa glass roof replacing the fabric roof.

With the introduction of the Mazda Miata in 1989, saw a revival of convertibles as recent models had roll bar incorporated into the front windscreen, Targas and T-top saw a slow decline as manufacturers discontinued them one by one, putting convertibles into favor, but will continue to produce them when it is not possible to incorporate convertible styles."

 

I had mine off for the first time yesterday. It fits very, very snugly. I was worried that I couldn't get it back on!!

Before I had it off, it would occaisonally creak, It hasn't done it sine it was put back in yesterday though.