Porsche Just Gave It's Newest 911 Big Horsepower - And A Big Price Tag

In the US, Porsche offers an incredible 20 different variants of its iconic 911 sports car. Like the lineup of a rock band, the roster does not remain static.

At the end of 2014, the 50th Anniversary Edition left the market. In its place is the brand new 911 Targa 4 GTS.

The 911 Targa 4 hit the market in 2014 with a 3.4-liter 350-horsepower variant of Porsche's tried-and-true flat-6-cylinder engine. Here, the Targa gets the GTS-treatment, which means a beefier engines and a host of cosmetic upgrades.

Instead of a 3.4-liter powerplant, the GTS will get an addition 0.4 liters of displacement. This translates into a power boost up to 430 horsepower.

With 430 horsepower on tap, 60 mph can be achieved in 4.5 seconds if you prefer to shift gears the old fashioned style through a 7-speed manual. However, that acceleration figures drop to 4.1 seconds if you opt for Porsche's fantastic twin-clutch PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) manu-matic transmission.

With it's all said and done, the Targa 4 GTS will hit a top speed of 188 mph (187 with the PDK). Those figures represent an improvement of 0.5 to 0.7-second in 0-60 times and a boost of 13-14 mph in top speed.

The star attraction of the newest 911 is Porsche's trick electric targa roof that lifts up entire rear window apparatus to store the roof cover. Of all of the folding roof systems on the market, the Porsche Targa is certainly the most impressive.

Cosmetic treatments for the Targa 4 GTS include matte black 20-inch center lock wheels, "sport" front end design" and black intakes, in addition to black logos, and brushed aluminum accents.

As my former Business Insider colleague Alex Davies pointed out on Wired's Autopia, the GTS' performance and cosmetic improvements come at a price.

In this case, a considerable price. While the standard 911 Targa 4 sells with a base price of $101,600, the asking price for the GTS variant is $132,800. Porsche is asking for quite the king's ransom.

Whether this will be worth it remains to be seen. We'll let you know when we get our hands on one. Expect the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS to hit US showrooms sometime in late April.