What if Sheaffer re-introduced the Targa

[PenHero]

Fellow collectors,

 

I've been discussing with Sheaffer's USA distributor about a reintroduction of the Targa as a regular production pen line (not as a one-off special edition). The Targa is one of Sheaffer's iconic pens, having a nearly quarter century run, and was offered in more finishes than many other pens ever made.

 

Sheaffer is very seriously considering re-introducing the Targa and would like input from pen collectors as well as those not familiar with this pen.

 

Sheaffer Targa in sterling silver

 

Please consider the following as possibilities:

 

1. The Targa is reintroduced as the same pen - no changes in size, nib unit, materials or style. Classic and new finishes are part of the line. It's essentially a reissued classic.

 

2. The Targa is updated - same size, nib unit, materials and style but some updating changes made, so the pen is clearly the same pen, with possibly an updated cap top or clip, for example.

 

3. The Targa is rethought - visually the same concept, but the pen could be longer, wider, made of resin, etc. Think Parker 100 to the Parker 51.

 

Second, where would you position the new Targa?

 

1. Wide range, priced from low cost steel nib pens in the top of the Prelude price range through super high end solid gold pens (essentially as before).

 

2. Between the Prelude and Legacy in price ($100-$300 price range).

 

3. Super premium, in terms of finish and availability ($300-$1000 and up).

 

Your comments are really going to be brought back to Sheaffer, so please consider this as an opportunity to give feedback on bringing back one of the prized pens of the last 30 years.

 

Thanks!

 

Cheers,

 

Jim Mamoulides

www.PenHero.com

Edited August 29, 2007 by PenHero

[amh210]

I voted "What's a Targa" even though I know what a Targa is. I would have preferred an option for "Not the Targa."

 

I can think of a number of other Sheaffers I'd prefer to see brought back. However, they have different filling systems and I suppose Sheaffer prefers to bring back a cartridge/converter pen. How I would love to see a new take on a Snorkel or PFM. Maybe they could figure out how to combine the best features of a Snorkel and a Piston Filler so we could have a pen as easy to work with as a Pelikan but still keep the nib out of the ink bottle as a Snorkel did.

 

I'd prefer a pen with a more classic look. Wider. Less blingy. Bring back the Connaisseur, a Balance with a lever and sac filler system, a new PFM, something truely classic.

 

Targa? I just don't get excited about the Targa.

 

Nevertheless, I'm pleased Sheaffer is interested in what the FP using and collecting community thinks. I'm fairly sure my opinion about the Targa is a minority one.

 

Andy

[PenHero]

I voted "What's a Targa" even though I know what a Targa is. I would have preferred an option for "Not the Targa."

 

*snip*

 

Andy

 

Dear Andy,

 

The lack of a "no" vote is a bit tongue in cheek.

 

I think Sheaffer is serious and is in the process of gaging interest. They have the tooling and they want to know what the collector world thinks. How traditional or radical should they be.

 

Your comments are definitely noted!

 

Cheers,

 

Jim Mamoulides

www.PenHero.com

 

 

 

[OboeJuan]

I heard a similar rumour and am so hoping for Targas to come back into my life. Mine are all in various stages of mild to serious leakage due to the age of the inlaid nib so I use them at home only. I would love a new one (the only inlaid nib pens I like are the Targa and my desk pen).

 

It would be swell if they brought back the Targa Slim, too, so all of those people who have lost their converters don't have to refill old Scrip II carts... I have one, but I don't know what I will do if the rubber dries out. I belong to the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" camp and can't think of one single way to improve the Targa. Sigh. Looking lovingly at one right now...

 

As for price, leave it exactly the way it was before. Sheaffer will sell alot more pens if a person can pick up the cheapy, get hooked, then "have to have" the next one up, then the next etc. I am also in the "get what you pay for" camp. Also, if the Targas end up being over priced because they used to be cool, Sheaffer may be a target for attacks from the "paying for image" bashers.

 

Oh joy! Can't wait!

 

Kath

[PAKMAN]

I don't own a Targa. I have lots of Sheaffer pens but the Targa never appealed to me. Of course I said the same about the Parker 45 until I got one then I became somewhat of a fan. I like pens with some girth to them and the Targa always looked too skinny. Also, if they came back it seems a price point for the regular ole run of the mill Targa should hit closer to the $50- $75 range. Just my humble opinion.

[Mary P]

1. The Targa is reintroduced as the same pen - no changes in size, nib unit, materials or style. Classic and new finishes are part of the line. It's essentially a reissued classic.

 

I loved the Targa and between 1979 and 1986 I sold many of them. At that time I managed a college bookstore. I sold chrome Targas to students and gold Targas to parents and faculty. Targa sets became even more popular than Cross sets as gifts at Christmas and graduation. I bought my last Targa when Arcamax had closeout bargains about 5 years ago. Would I buy a new Targa? In a heartbeat!

[npt3]

1. The Targa is reintroduced as the same pen - no changes in size, nib unit, materials or style. Classic and new finishes are part of the line. It's essentially a reissued classic.

 

I loved the Targa and between 1979 and 1986 I sold many of them. At that time I managed a college bookstore. I sold chrome Targas to students and gold Targas to parents and faculty. Targa sets became even more popular than Cross sets as gifts at Christmas and graduation. I bought my last Targa when Arcamax had closeout bargains about 5 years ago. Would I buy a new Targa? In a heartbeat!

 

<cross-posted on the Zoss list>

Well, this is welcome news. The Targa is one pen that merits a "do-over". The finished on the post-Eaton, pre-Bic Targas were just awesome and a well-thought out re-introduction would add some real distinction to a pretty saggy line right now (an interesting start with the Valor, but cheapie and looking long-in-the-tooth Preludes, really dumb looking LEs (the new Legacy "roaring twenties" is hideous) and - sad to say - boring finishes in the Legacy Heritage line (bring back good stuff like the Pd/linear matte finish - now THAT'S entertainment!)

 

 

> 1. The Targa is reintroduced as the same pen - no changes in size,

nib unit, materials or style. Classic and new finishes are part of the line. It's essentially a reissued classic.

 

This would be nice to see, but I'm not sure what kind of traction this would get in the market, i.e., why buy a "new" Targa when you can pick up the same - and USA made - thing on eBay for a fraction? If the same exact design were re-issued, it would HAVE to be in the special finishes only - green moiré, anyone? - to set it apart from the old school Targas.

 

> 2. The Targa is updated - same size, nib unit, materials and style

but some updating changes made, so the pen is clearly the same pen, with possibly an updated cap top or clip, for example.

 

Now we're talkin'. Setting the pen apart enough from its predecessor to make it "new" would remove the 'ho-hum' factor of a straight reissue, and allow Sheaffer to make it in "standard" finishes (black laque, etc.)

 

> 3. The Targa is rethought - visually the same concept, but the pen

could be longer, wider, made of resin, etc. Think Parker 100 to the Parker 51.

 

I don't know. If I had more confidence in Sheaffer's current design team, I'd go with a re-think, but with their current track record, a rethought Targa is more likely to be like the Waterman Charleston to the Waterman Hundred Year. Blech.

 

So, I would probably go for 2, and add some "new" finishes as well (linear matte, platinum inlay, etc.)

 

 

> 1. Wide range, priced from low cost steel nib pens in the top of the

Prelude price range through super high end solid gold pens (essentially as before).

 

Nope. Keep the Targa as a gold nib pen, but offer more of the nib units as the Pd-plated variety. If you want a steel nib, get a Prelude.

 

> 2. Between the Prelude and Legacy in price ($100-$300 price range).

 

Where does Sheaffer want to put it? Do they want the Valor to be their top-of-the-line pen? The Legacy? Both the Legacy and Valor are similarly priced (except for the Legacy precious metal finishes, which are higher.)

 

> 3. Super premium, in terms of finish and availability ($300-$1000 and

up).

 

3. is the winner here. For pricing, I would position the line as follows: Prelude<Valor<=Legacy<Targa, as this just seems to make the most sense to me. Valor's an elegant, gold nibbed resin pen for those younger folk eyeing a Montblanc Meisterstuck, perhaps; the Legacy is a big-ass power pen for a more traditional crowd (but make the damn thing LIGHTER!); and the Targa would be the 'statement' pen, the one that everyone goes 'oooh' at (at least silently) when it emerges from the pocket. Again, it will depend on the redesign. If it's a straight reissue, it would have to be done in special finishes only (Masterpiece! Spiral laque!) to garner that super premium status. If it's updated or redesigned totally, the design would have to be super premium indeed to command that place in the line.

 

Nick T.

 

[Univer]

Hi All,

 

The Targa left me a little cold when it was introduced, but in recent years I've come to appreciate its architectural integrity, its superb balance and its brilliant writing performance.

 

The pen was very much a product of its time: all-metal pens were "in" (others have observed that weight was often equated with quality during that era), as were so-called "jewelry" finishes.

 

I would love to see the Targa return, but I'm not sure I would want to see a slavish recapitulation of the previous model range. I think a reintroduced Targa should again be a product of its times: that is to say, these times. And today, beautiful patterned resins and celluloids are deservedly popular. Sheaffer should have manufactured the resin-barreled Legacy prototype (forgive me, I know I've made that case before); and the gem-like, elegant Prelude Compact ballpoint shows how lovely a resin-barreled full-sized Prelude fountain pen would be. The combination of the resin barrel and the metal cap, in each case, is stunning.

 

So I say: make the reintroduced Targa the resin-barreled/metal-cap Sheaffer (besides the Opalite Crest) that actually gets into production. The metal cap (I might add a contrasting cap band in the manner of the old Sentinel) would pay homage to the Targa's jewelry heritage, and the resin barrel would be utterly contemporary.

 

 

(And an all-metal model or two, for Targa purists, would probably make sense as well.)

 

As for the price point, I'm not sure that an entry-level Targa is necessary, but I wouldn't make an issue of it. I certainly wouldn't produce it as a limited-edition super-premium item either. Maybe the new Targa could slot in about where the modern Crest lived.

 

No matter what, I'm thrilled to see Sheaffer embracing its history, and reaching out to the collector community for feedback. Where do I place my order?

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

Edited August 30, 2007 by Univer

[WillAdams]

I'd love to be able to buy a new Targa which was lighter and made of resin.

 

A range of prices and nib options (italic calligraphy nibs esp.) would be nice.

 

William

[southpaw]

Posted on PT YB also, but reintroduce it as it was, but add an O/S version.

[Sakura]

I don't know Sheaffer pens that well, and I never knew the Targa, but I can say I'd definitely be interested if:

 

1) it were "rethought" to be wider and possibly heavier (looks way too thin for my preferences); and

 

2) it were offered in different finishes at different price levels so I could get my feet wet with a low-end model.

 

I do have a Sheaffer Fashion pen, and although I count it in my total number of pens, I don't have the intention to use it again because it's so skinny it practically hurts to use. I will either save it for my daughter or sell/give it away. I need a good, wide pen.

 

 

 

 

[arbatrmwc]

I think the Targa range should start around $80 and go up - not all the way to the top (precious metal barrel), but to a nice gold nib. Metal is all very well, but a good quality plastic or resin pen would balance out the line well. Sure, keep the metal option open for those in to that sort of thing, but try the plastic, too. Something simple, clean, and bold (but not in-your-face) is what I would buy. I guess what I'm trying to say if that Sheaffer has the high-end luxury metal part down well, but something a bit more sedate would be desirable. Well-machined and well-designed plastic will not look or feel cheap.

[sexauerw]

In my opinion it wouldn't be a Targa if the cap didn't match the barrel. Other pens may have a metal cap on a plastic barrel, but never a Targa!

[Mary P]

In my opinion it wouldn't be a Targa if the cap didn't match the barrel. Other pens may have a metal cap on a plastic barrel, but never a Targa!

 

Bill has it right.

 

were "rethought" to be wider and possibly heavier

 

Targas are not lightweight pens. While I find the slim Targa a bit too slim, the standard Targa's width seemed just perfect to me. One of the reasons that I buy so few modern pens and so often use pens from the 1930s and 1940s is that I find many modern pens too large for comfortable use. I write lengthy letters and journal entries with my pens. IMHO oversize pens are good for short notes and signatures only.

[colliewalker1]

 

 

I like the design of the Targa but would prefer it to be made of a high quality plastic material: I fdound the stainless steel body and cap to give a very 'cold' impresion.

 

Denis Boisclair

Cheshire, England.

 

[Velma]

I voted, but I will observe that I would enjoy either option one or two, and would prefer the wide range of prices and materials, rather than an exclusively high-end pen.

[abp]

I voted update, mainly because I agree with the earlier comments about distinguishing the new from the old. I wouldn't try too hard though; maybe a new tassie (?) design and a different pressing on the end of the barrel. A hinged and sprung clip like the Waterman Carene would also be nice, but still retaining the double bar look of the old.

 

As for price, I'd like to be able to buy one, so I think starting at the $100 mark for a basic flighter model, but possibly going through the $300 dollar ceiling to allow for specialist versions and finishes for those with richer interests. Do you think Shaeffer might introduce a novel or differentiating filling system?

 

Antony

[Tom L]

I like the original. Slim, but not too slim to be used.

 

Coincidentally, I've been searching for a budget priced slim (with a F or XF nib and converter) for a coworker FP convert for whom we determined it would be the perfect pen.

 

Would be great if they'd add an OS version too.

 

-Tom

[Jerry A]

Bring it back, but start small. Sheaffer seems to be a name that's disappearing off the face of the planet, if you're not a pen collector. In my neck of the woods, many of the major retailers aren't even stocking Sheaffer any longer (which makes it difficult to get my Skrip Blue-Black fix).

 

The new Targa should be the same size as the full-sized original, but with a resin body and a stainless steel nib. Also, go for an interesting resin finish (striated blue or mottled/marbled black come to mind), not solid black. Future models can include higher-end finishes and gold nibs.

 

And it should be the replacement for the staid Prelude line. Thus, the new Targa, out of the gate, should be their $50-$70 pen that catches folks eyes, garners attention, and can hold it's own in terms of premium display space in a retail outlet.

 

The new Targa must be the introduction to the Sheaffer icon that is the inlaid nib. Sell a few of those to the casual buyer, and it should become easier to get people interested in the $300 Valor.

 

Crazy talk, I know. But I honestly think that for Sheaffer to make a comeback, it needs to find a way to attract new, casual buyers -- the folks that walk into the mall and are looking for a gift that looks great and isn't too expensive. Not gonna tap that market with the Valor (incidentally, I think this is why the Waterman Expert and Hemisphere does so well with those not in the know).

 

Speaking as a Sheaffer fan on sabbatical (long story), there aren't enough of us out there to warrant the approach of the high-end Targa or Balance or Triumph reintroduction, and make it profitable or worthwhile for Bic.

[andyk]

To be honest the Targa has never really had the appeal for me that some other Sheaffers have and as a result I only have 2, a stainless steel one and one of the Imperial Brass versions, although they write very well (as do most Sheaffers I own) they just don't seem to get used very often.

 

If it was reintroduced, I would like it to be a bit 'fatter', possibly in a nice Lapis Lazuli colour a bit like the Parker 75.

 

Andy