Porsche Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS debut in Beijing

Porsche’s new GTS range of sports cars make their world debut at Auto China in Beijing, joining a tantalising showcase of Porsche race cars including the 919 Hybrid, 911 RSR and the 918 Spyder sports car.

The event runs from April 21st to 29th an is now the biggest car show in China, which in turn is now the second largest market for Porsche after the USA.

The GTS uses an uprated version of Porsche’s 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine producing 326 bhp in the Boxster and 335 bhp in the Cayman. Both gain an extra 10 Nm of torque, peaking at 370 Nm in the Boxster GTS and 380 Nm in the Cayman GTS, but the Boxster’s peak torque is spread over a wider rev range beginning at 4,500 compared to 4,750 in the Cayman.

Consequently the Cayman is slightly quicker; accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds (when fitted with PDK and the active Sport Plus button) compared to 4.7 seconds in the Boxster.

“GTS” stands for Gran Turismo Sport and Porsche haven’t shied away from delivering a more driver-focused experience with both top-of-the-range models; they feature a modified rear chassis with PASM and the Sport Chrono package fitted as standard, while 235/35 tyres at the front and 265/35 at the rear (on 20-inch Carrera S wheels) ensure there’s plenty of traction to match their class-leading agility.

• 
• 

Inside both two-seaters there’s a pair of sports seats, trimmed in leather and Alcantara, while outside there’s blackened bi-xenon headlights – with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) as standard – and silky black “GTS’ lettering to distinguish them from lesser versions.

If you’ve heard those three letters before, that’s probably because of the Cayenne GTS and Panamera GTS (or 1980s 924 GTS and 928 GTS) but they originate from the 1960’s 904 Carrera GTS, the spiritual predecessor of the Cayman GTS.

You can order both GTS models from your nearest Porsche dealer, priced from £52,879 for the Boxster GTS or £55,397 for the Cayman GTS.

There’s a Boxster GTS Routes app available on the iTunes store which enables you to find routes, record your favorite drives and share them with your friends. Download to your iPhone here.

There’s also a driving game (‘GTS Driver’) that you can use to test your skills behind the wheel of the Cayman GTS.