Los Angeles, CA—Every time a new smartphone, camera, computer, or car is introduced, there is always a press conference that includes a technical presentation followed by a Q&A. Porsche, however, had other things in mind.
They wanted to let their new car—the GTS variant of the iconic 911 series—do the talking.
Which is how I, together with Philippine Daily Inquirer’s motoring editor Jong Arcano, found ourselves with the keys to a spanking new white 911 Carrera GTS waiting for us at the driveway of the posh Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California the morning after we flew in from Manila, severely sleep-deprived and jetlagged.
No technical presentation, no briefing—nothing but a quick “Enjoy the car and see you at Willow Springs Raceway!” from the friendly (and as we discovered, very trusting) Porsche staff. (The GTS would not be officially launched until the next day at the Los Angeles Auto Show.)
We also discovered that the biggest serving of double espresso is no match to a fast and sexy sports car in combatting sleep deprivation and jetlag. And as I drove out of our hotel driveway on a sunny yet chilly California autumn day with the 911 GTS’ top down, we had grins of Cheshire cat proportions.
Porsche’s three-letter combination began its origins in the 904 Carrera GTS, a race car built in 1963, but which could also be used for the street. The 924 GTS and 928 GTS cultivated this principle in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. In 2007, the GTS variant experienced a revival in the form of the Cayenne GTS, and which was then implemented subsequently in the 911, Panamera, Boxster, and Cayman models. The first generation of the 911 Carrera GTS attracted huge interest worldwide.
At Porsche, GTS stands for Gran Turismo Sport, and it symbolizes extraordinary Porsche performance. A Porsche of the GTS category is always easy to identify—a characteristic design element is its black accent color. The GTS also comes with a full array of sport-oriented features.
Since its launch in 2010, one out of four 911 Carrera Cabriolet buyers chose a GTS model, and almost a quarter of all Carrera coupes had a GTS badge. A total of over 6,200 GTS models of the prior 911 generation were delivered to customers.
And now, Porsche is extending its current 911 Carrera model range with no less than four new GTS models.
Several features heighten the new 911 Carrera GTS’s dynamic performance and driving pleasure, including a 430hp engine, a Sport Chrono package, and the PASM active damper system which lowers the ride height by 10mm They close the gap between the 400 hp 911 Carrera S and the street-legal 911 GT3 with 475 hp that was optimized for the race track.
A number of options are included as standard, such as Bi-Xenon headlights with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) and the sport exhaust system for that wonderfully unmistakable GTS sound. The GTS models are available as coupe or cabriolet versions, with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. So now the 911 model series offers a total of 19 sports cars at six power levels.
The new 911 cars set themselves apart from the other 911 Carrera models both technically and visually. The modified 430 hp 3.8-liter flat-six engine of the GTS models produces nearly the same power as the engine of the previous generation 911 GT3 (435 hp). Even more dynamic performance is generated by the combination of PASM and the dynamic engine mounts of the Sport Chrono package. Handling is immensely stable during throttle changes and in fast bends. Yet, the models still offer excellent 911 ride comfort on rough roads—there’s absolutely none of the jarring harshness that afflicts most other ultra-high-performance sports or super cars. These were all borne out in our day-long drive with rear- and all-wheel drive models of the GTS with both manual and PDK transmissions from our hotel in Pasadena through the serpentine mountain roads of the Angeles Crest Highway all the way to the challenging Willow Springs race track on the outskirts of LA.
The newly tuned gear-shifting of the standard seven-speed manual transmission lets you shift with less force in precise shift gates. Letting all 430 horses loose on the race track, hearing that flat-six engine’s roar at its 7,800-rpm redline, and feeling that almighty push on your back—the 7-speed PDK model even blips the throttle automatically when you flick the paddle shifters for a down shift—is truly a spine-tingling experience.
Thankfully, all that forward thrust is reined in via four huge ventilated and cross-drilled brake discs clamped by six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
GTS models are quite easy to identify on the road. All models have the 911 Carrera 4’s wide body, which features flared rear wheel arches and the widened track of the all-wheel drive 911, which was increased by 36 mm. Racing-inspired 20-inch center-lock wheels (9 inches wide with 245/35 tires in front, 11.5 inches wide and 305/30 tires at the rear) are also standard. Previously these wheels were reserved for just the 911 Turbo S; on the 911 Carrera GTS they are exclusively painted in silky gloss black. The GTS appearance is rounded out by sport design trim at the front end with an opening for the auxiliary middle radiator, smoked Bi-Xenon headlights and front lights as well as the sport design door mirrors. Black accents have been added as well: the painted trim strips on the air intake, chrome-plated exhaust tailpipes and 911 Carrera GTS badges on the door and rear lid.
The new front fascia gives the 911 Carrera GTS a distinctive look. Diagonal bars on the middle air intake make a visual statement of boosted dynamic performance, and they differentiate the GTS from the other 911 Carrera models. The front spoiler surround is painted in body color, and it promotes the visual impression of a large width. Also distinctive are the tinted front headlights with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS). The system includes dynamic cornering lights and speed-dependent running light control, which adjusts the light pattern and light intensity for a better view.
Inside the cozy but luxuriously trimmed cockpit, the driver and front passenger sport seats have center panels made of Alcantara similar to other GTS models by Porsche. It’s a fabulous and highly functional place for two people to enjoy high-speed motoring (it’s a 2+2 with a 2,450mm wheelbase, but the rear seats are best reserved for toddlers or overnight bags).
The four-way adjustable sport plus seats – with their black GTS logo on the head restraints – provide additional lateral support and long-range comfort. To further improve the car’s power-to-weight ratio, the rear seat system can be omitted in the coupe as an option. In this case, the 911 Carrera GTS weighs just around seven kilograms less than the 911 Carrera S, despite its wide body (the doors, fenders, hood, and trunk lid are made of aluminum). The rear area then features carpeting with the GTS logo.
The dominant interior material is black Alcantara. This high-end material, which weighs less than leather, is used for the centre panels of the sport seats and as trim for the steering wheel rim, gear shift and parking brake levers, door handles and the lids and extensions of the door storage compartments. Also designed in sporty black are the dials in the instrument cluster which sport the GTS logo, the anodized aluminum trim strips and the roof-lining. The aluminum door sill plates featuring the model name Carrera GTS in black are fitted as standard.
When fitted with the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch gearbox, the 911 Carrera GTS sprints from zero to 100 km/h in a very brief four seconds. The top speed of any GTS model is beyond the 300 km/h barrier (the fastest at 306 km/h is the Coupe with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive).
Truly prodigious numbers. And something you’ll have to experience to fully comprehend. Porsche might not have said much before lending us the cars. But that’s simply because they knew the cars could do all the talking. And the GTS spoke volumes. Beautifully.
