The Latest Porsche 911’S receive the GTS touch.

The first ever Porsche Carrera GTS  was born in 1964, when Baron Antonio Pucci and Colin Davis won the famous Targa Florio race, spending over seven hours driving at the absolute limit. To win a race like this, a car needed to have the performance characteristics to succeed, but also the safety and comfort features for a driver to concentrate under such an environment.

Today, the GTS or Grand Turismo Sport Porsche, now represents a sportier driving experience. The GTS variant provides a more aggressive look and racier trimmings with an increase in power.

A few days ago, Porsche announced the latest GTS models to the 911 range. The Carrera, Carrera 4 Coupe and Cabriolet variants as well as the Targa 4, all have the privilege of the donning GTS badge.

What is the Difference?

All GTS models will feature more power, 355 kW or 450 BHP to be precise. This is 22kW/30BHP more than the 911 Carrera S. Along with the increase in horsepower, the car also has an increase in torque, with the GTS providing an extra 48Nm, bringing the total to 526Nm. This extra power enables GTS models to hit 100kph in under 3.5 seconds with PDK.

Further to this, PASM – Porsche Active Suspension System in standard on all GTS models. Apart from the performance benefits, PASM also lowers the ride height by 10mm to add to the GTS’ extra sportiness.

Exterior

A GTS model would not be complete without the exterior elements. A black front-end spoiler lip, tinted rear taillights, rear grille strips in Satin Black and Gloss Black and different rear exhaust tips, separate a GTS model from the other 911 variants in the range. That’s not all; a GTS model also features 20 inch Black Satin Wheels, Sport Design mirrors and black GTS badges to complete the aesthetic appearance. On Targa models, the Targa bar is also finished Black Satin for the first time. It is also worth noting that the rear spoiler on GTS models now extends further, to provide aerodynamic benefits.

The attention to detail on the new GTS models go way beyond than before. A light or dark trim strip is present between the taillights to differentiate between rear wheel drive or all wheel drive models.  Rear wheel drive variants feature the dark strip and all wheel drive has the light strip.

Interior

On the GTS, sports seats are standard with a combination of Alcantara and leather. This follows through with the rest of the interior, as the steering wheel is also finished in Alcantara, along with the gear lever and armrest. Anodised black brushed aluminium also plays a role in the interior design. Standard on the GTS is the Sport Chrono Package, with the stopwatch present on the middle of dashboard of the GTS’ interior.

Overall

In our opinion, the new 911 GTS variants look fantastic. The additional black elements are subtle, and the vehicle looks very sleek and clean in its appearance. As subtle as these changes may be, they give the model an extra edge over the other 911 models. The same follows through with the changes on the interior, it’s subtle, classy and beautifully finished off with a deep red tachometer. The “average joe” may look at this car and not realise what variant of 911 this is, but this car is not for the “average joe”. It’s understated as most Porche’s are, but for those aficionados who know what this model is about, they will understand what the GTS represents and will be able to pick it out from the rest of the range. Those who own the standard 911 may consider contacting their dealers soon before many models hit the streets, because as the old adage goes “jealousy makes you nasty”.

Pricing on a 911 GTS is as follows:

911 CARRERA GTS: R1.695.000

911CARRERA GTS CABRIOLET: R1.842.000

911 CARRERA 4 GTS: R1.820.000

911 CARRERA 4 GTS CABRIOLET: R1.966.000

911 TARGA 4 GTS: R1.966.000