It is July, the tail end of the afternoon Mistral has just laid down, and the Côte d’Azur is doing what it does best: turning the sea between Cannes and the Île Sainte-Marguerite into a hammered-silver plain that begs to be crossed at speed. We throttle up from the anchorage, the twin Volvo Penta IPS600 pods bite deep, and within seconds the bow is levelling and the speedo is climbing through 25 knots. Behind us, the Lérins Islands shrink to a postcard. Ahead — nothing but possibility. This is the Fairline Targa 43 GT in its element: a British-built grand tourer that was born, quite literally, for the Mediterranean.
What Is the Fairline Targa 43 GT?
The Fairline Targa 43 GT Review: Grand Tourer of the Med tells a story that begins with a remarkable lineage. Originally launched in 1997, the Fairline Targa 43 was hot property in the Mediterranean for many years, thanks to its appealing blend of performance and glamour. The GT designation distinguishes it from the Open variant by its hardtop configuration: the Fairline GT features an electric sunroof which extends halfway back into the hardtop, rather than the fully-opening canvas top of the Open model, but each offers an effective way to enjoy open-air boating. In practical Med terms, that matters enormously — you have shade when the sun is a hammer at noon, and a sky full of stars the moment you slide the glass back at anchor.
UK builder Fairline banks on an inspired mix of Italian design plus English engineering to tempt a new generation of buyers. The man responsible for that Italian dimension is superyacht designer Alberto Mancini, whose partnership with Fairline began with the Targa 63 GTO. Mancini captured the very essence that made the predecessor one of the most popular Fairline models ever built — svelte, sophisticated lines evoking that unmistakable Riviera-glamour, married with flawless engineering and unbridled performance. Standing on the swim platform as you approach stern-to in Port Hercule or Portofino’s Darsena, watching the reaction of skippers on neighbouring boats, you understand why this boat has always sold on looks alone — before anyone even starts the engines.
Key Specifications at a Glance
For a boat that feels this effortless, the numbers beneath the surface are worth knowing before you commit to a sea trial or a brokerage purchase.
- Length overall (excl. pulpit): 13.9m (45’7″)
- Hull length: 12.8m (42′)
- Beam: 4.32m (14’2″)
- Draught: 1.17m (3’10”) — welcome news in shallow Ionian anchorages
- Fuel capacity: 1,300 litres (286 gallons)
- Water capacity: 400 litres (88 gallons)
- Engines: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS600 D6-435, diesel (870 hp combined)
- CE Classification: Category B — capable of navigating in open winds at speeds up to 40 knots
- Berths: 4–5 persons; capacity 12 day passengers
- Dry weight: 12,500 kg
Used examples on the European brokerage market are currently priced between approximately €165,000 and €663,000, depending on year and specification. Well-equipped 2019 examples in the Western Med are typically listed in the €500,000–€640,000 range through brokers in France, Spain and Italy — making this a serious investment that warrants equally serious marine insurance. We recommend getting a specialist policy through a broker experienced with IPS-drive sports cruisers; the propulsion system, tender garage and integrated electronics all require specific coverage that standard leisure policies frequently under-value. Check with a specialist Mediterranean marine insurer before signing anything.
On the Water: Med Performance in Real Conditions
Numbers on a specification sheet are one thing. What you actually feel when the Tramontane is kicking up a metre of confused sea off Cap Sicié is quite another — and that is where the Targa 43 GT earns its grand tourer credentials.
Fairline used the underpinnings of the Targa 48’s hull for the T43 (hence its identical beam) and the same 435hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, so it’s no surprise that the T43 has the same easy-going handling, backed up by excellent helm ergonomics. That broader-than-expected 4.32-metre beam gives the hull a planted confidence in summer chop that narrower competitors — we’re looking at you, Sunseeker Predator 46 — simply can’t match. The boat comes onto plane at around 11 knots, with the transition from displacement to planing accompanied by little trimming and maintained foresight. That early, clean transition matters on long passages: you’re not hanging in the uncomfortable hump zone while watching your fuel gauge bleed.
In real-world testing, the Targa 43 topped out at 31 knots with 80 per cent fuel and full water tanks plus the Williams jet tender in the garage, but it’s at 20–24 knots that the boat relaxes into its most comfortable cruising gait. At that pace, the engines are turning at around 3,000 rpm and their hum melts into the background as the boat romps along, racking up the miles effortlessly. Set a course from Antibes to Calvi — a 110-nautical-mile passage that any committed Med skipper knows well — and the 1,300-litre tank gives you genuine comfort in the range department. One full tank is theoretically sufficient for 208 nautical miles non-stop plus a 15 per cent reserve.
Conditions that included an underlying swell plus the wash of passing boats were dispatched nonchalantly. In the July-August Mistral season, that composure in cross-swells is what separates a boat you trust from one that has you white-knuckling the grab rail. Thanks to the IPS drives, this Fairline remains under control at all times, without getting boring — it masters both sporty curves and waves. The Targa range was explicitly developed for Mediterranean conditions; the new 43 is primarily designed for use on the Mediterranean Sea.
The IPS Advantage: Stern-To Docking in Tight Med Marinas
Nothing separates Mediterranean motorboating from its Atlantic equivalent quite like the ritual of stern-to berthing. Portofino at 18:00 in August. Porto Cervo in July. The old harbour at Bonifacio with its rock walls, dying thermals and half a metre of clearance on each side. These are the moments that expose a boat — and its propulsion system.
The Targa 43 GT’s IPS600 pods transform what is traditionally the most stressful moment of any Med day into something approaching choreography. The Volvo Penta IPS Joystick puts you in total control and lets you manoeuvre in any direction — sideways, diagonally, forward, backward or rotate — with just one hand. The system is used to manoeuvre the boat in any direction, making it easier to moor and cast off even in narrow passages. We’ve backed this boat into a berth in Stintino, Sardinia — a marina notorious for its cross-wind exposure and aggressively anchored neighbours — and stepped off onto the quay with the lines already in hand. The joystick controller deserves as much credit as the twin props.
The optional passarelle pops out from the starboard side of the tender garage, leaving the port-side passageway free for engine access. A well-specified example will also feature the optional Seakeeper gyroscopic stabiliser. There is the ability to add a Seakeeper NG5 gyroscopic stabiliser, ensuring the highest level of comfort on board — critical for Mediterranean nights at anchor when a passing superyacht’s wake hits you broadside at 2 a.m.
Cockpit, Cabin and Life Aboard in 35°C Heat
This is the section that determines whether a boat is genuinely Med-capable or merely Med-adjacent. Cockpit shade. Air-flow below. Refrigeration that keeps the rosé cold when the ambient air is 38°C in a Sicilian marina. The Targa 43 GT thinks about all of it.
The cockpit maximises the boat’s 14ft 2in beam. It is open to the elements, encouraging the rush of water and cooling breeze to be part of the experience rather than sealing them out like so many modern sportscruisers do. When the heat is too much, slide the roof closed and take shelter from the midday sun. For committed sun-lovers, expansive sunbeds on both the aft and foredecks ensure you’re never far from reclining in comfort.
Below decks, the layout was designed by Mancini with Mediterranean night stops firmly in mind. Although smaller than the Targa 48, she does not lack in either space or headroom — Mancini drew inspiration from the Targa 63 GTO interior, ensuring a light and spacious feel that works seamlessly between spaces. Owners have the choice of a forward or midships master cabin, a decision that determines how you use both bathrooms and which way the door arrangement flows — choose at survey time, not at sea. Everything of a critical nature hovers around Fairline’s benchmark headroom for the Targa 43 of 6ft 7in (2.01m) throughout — a genuine rarity in a 14-metre sportscruiser. The saloon/galley arrangement offers a social, single-level entertainment zone that ensures the skipper is part of the fun, while a galley-up option means alfresco catering is a simple affair.
The tender garage is the detail that elevates this from day boat to genuine Med-hopping machine. The cockpit offers garage space to accommodate a Williams 285 TurboJet, a high-low platform with 300kg lifting capacity — ideal for a Sea-Doo Spark — and an expansive, social cockpit space with outdoor bar and twin pilot seats at the helm. That Williams tender is your shore-connection in every anchorage from Saronic to Cyclades — the difference between floating offshore and actually arriving at the taverna.
Ownership in Europe: Buying, Chartering and Running Costs
The Fairline Targa 43 GT review: grand tourer of the Med would be incomplete without talking about what it actually costs to put this boat in a Med marina and keep it there. The Targa 43 (the original 1997–2005 generation) can be found from approximately €226,000 for a 20-year-old example. The second-generation Open and GT variants (2018–2020 production) sit significantly higher, with prices on the European market ranging from €165,000 to over €663,000 depending on model year, specification and the all-important service history. A 2019 GT in Palma or Antibes with a Seakeeper, full Garmin chartplotter suite and a recent impeller service is realistically a €550,000–€620,000 conversation.
Running costs in a Med context break down predictably: marina fees at a Côte d’Azur port de plaisance (Mandelieu, Golfe-Juan or Beaulieu) will run €15,000–€25,000 per season for a boat of this size; annual service on twin IPS600 units is professional but not punishing; and antifouling in a warm Mediterranean climate should be treated annually without compromise.
For those not ready to commit to ownership, a chartered sea trial aboard a Targa 43 is the single most persuasive selling tool the boat has. Several operators in Cannes, Palma de Mallorca and Portorož offer crewed day charters on Fairline Targa models — booking through a specialist Mediterranean charter broker gives you the chance to live with the boat before you buy it, and often the charter fees can be credited toward a purchase. Use our charter partner links to explore availability for the current season.
Who Is the Fairline Targa 43 GT Built For?
The Targa 43 is primarily designed for use on the Mediterranean Sea — and Fairline were not being coy when they said it. This is a boat for the skipper who leaves Calvi at 07:00, arrives in Bonifacio by 10:30, swims off the platform before noon and is at a table in the town by evening. It accommodates four in genuine comfort — in both cabins, queen-size berths can be pushed apart to form single berths — making it ideal for a couple plus guests, or two couples who like their own space below. It is not a liveaboard for a full family summer; it is a precision instrument for exactly the kind of boating that makes the Mediterranean addictive.
A hit with buyers and critics alike upon launch, the Targa 43 Open won the award for “Best Exterior Design” in its class at the 2018 World Yacht Trophies held in Cannes — fitting recognition for a boat that was launched at the same festival. The GT variant inherits every element of that award-winning form while adding the practical shelter of a partial hardtop. When Mancini’s sweeping roofline slides into a Corsican calanque at golden hour, you understand precisely why the award was deserved.
Its closest competitors — the Azimut S6, the Princess V50 and the Jeanneau Leader 46 — each make strong cases at this price point. But none of them carry the Targa’s combination of IPS joystick docking precision, 208-nautical-mile range, genuinely usable tender garage and the kind of design pedigree that still turns heads in Portofino after a decade in production. For the discerning Mediterranean motorboater, the Fairline Targa 43 GT review conclusion writes itself.
Nautiful’s Verdict
The Fairline Targa 43 GT Review: Grand Tourer of the Med delivers on every dimension of its title. It is genuinely grand — in design, in engineering ambition and in the scale of the experiences it enables. It is a true tourer — with the range, the seakeeping and the comfort to make real passages between real places. And it is, without reservation, of the Med — conceived for its chop, its crowded marinas, its crushing midsummer heat and its extraordinary light. Whether you encounter one at a Fairline dealer in Antibes or through a brokerage in Palma, do not leave without booking a sea trial. Browse certified pre-owned Targa listings through our partner brokerage links above, and speak to a specialist marine insurer before completing any purchase.
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