Car enthusiasts will be quick to tell you that convertible tops slow a car down, and this has truth to it thanks to the mechanics it takes to work a traditional convertible top. The heavier the car, the slower it becomes. One solution to removing the folding fabric and heavy components of a convertible sports car is employing a targa top. This 1960s invention had drivers mount a panel to a roll hoop, creating a more rigid and lighter solution for those who still wanted the opportunity to let in some air overhead without much performance or safety.

Many sports cars have adopted the targa top since, including the 1993 Honda Del Sol and the 2021 Porsche 911. But the Corvette has been widely known for implementing the targa top in the majority of its models since the 1960s when the style was invented. While targa tops aren't really standard anymore due to newer convertible concepts, the Corvette has sported them through the decades, starting with the C3 Stingray in the late '60s and ranging to the Corvette C8 stingray convertible. The only Corvettes that don't offer targa tops are the hard top C5 and the C6 Z06 and ZR1, which attempted to further reduce weight.