At the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche unveiled the new Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS. The car retains the classic styling that reminds one of the early 911 Targas, but with all the upgrades that you get in a GTS. This makes for a fun and modern driving machine.

The highlight of the new 911 Targa lineup is the fact that the cars look like the classic style. Newer Targas had featured a large sunroof, but the latest refresh returned to the early roof styling. A modern advancement in the roof is that it can be opened at the push of a button.

This one-button opening system involves the top of the roll bar raising, the rear glass moving back and the roof going into a compartment just ahead of the engine. It makes for quite a show and, unlike the early Targas, you don't need to manually remove the roof.

Yes, the roof is cool, but with the 911 Targa 4 GTS, the GTS part is the biggest news. Whenever Porsche makes GTS cars, they are special. In the case of the 911 GTS, it is one step away from a GT3, which means you are almost driving a race car for the street.

As with any other GTS, you get upgrades such as the 430-horsepower, naturally-aspirated flat-6 engine and Alcantara accents in the interior. The headlights are darkened, and it wears GTS badging, so people won't confuse it with a standard 911 Targa. You also get the all-important Sports Chrono Package as standard.

The Targa models are heavier than even the Cabriolets. Since the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is only available with all-wheel drive, that also makes it a bit heavier than it would be with rear-wheel drive.

So, that extra 30 horsepower helps performance, and it cuts the 0-60 mph time down to 4.1 seconds (when you go for the optional PDK dual clutch transmission) versus 4.4 seconds for the Targa 4S. The top speed of the Targa 4 GTS is a good 190 mph (189 mph if you go for the PDK).

While the 0-60 mph performance is a tenth of a second slower than a 991 Carrera S (and the same as the 4S without the Sports Chrono Package), you get the option to open that trick roof. The Carrera S may be a better value, but owning a 911 Targa 4 GTS offers some upgrades in the standard options that make it worth a look.

Is the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS worth the $132,800 starting price tag versus $99,850 for a Carrera S (or $105,630 for the 4S)? From a pure performance stand point, no. But when you consider the standard upgrades, the cool factor and the AWD, it starts to seem like a much better value. Beyond this, the price gap starts getting much closer with all the options that are included as standard with the GTS.

The Targa 4 GTS is a beautiful machine that gives you a special feel when driving it. Sure, you can get a quicker 911, but it won't stand out from the crowd as much. Once you get behind the wheel with the top open on a sunny day, the grin on your face will make it worth every penny.