Say hello to another 911 in the form of the 911 Carrera GTS which sees 23bhp more than a standard Carrera S and a raft of visual changes, notable a wider rear end and increased rear track to give it an extra chunky look. Available in both Coupe and Cabriolet form (from £76,758 and £83,493 respectively), the Carrera GTS makes its debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show and will be available to buy from this December.
Special attention was paid to the cylinder charge in the 3.8-litre flat engine fitted to the Carrera GTS in order to deliver 402 bhp. A special resonance intake manifold features six vacuum-controlled tuning flaps that switch between power- and torque-optimised geometry, whereas in a Carrera S power unit there is only one tuning flap. Consequently, the maximum torque of 420 Nm is available at 4,200 rpm, 200 rpm earlier than with the Carrera S for increased low rev response. Added to this is a sports exhaust system with two dual tailpipes producing a unique sound.
As standard, the Carrera GTS has a six-speed manual gearbox and the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) is available as an option. In comparison with the Carrera S, top speed of the GTS with manual transmission rises by 2mph to 190 mph. In general, acceleration from zero to 62mph improves by 0.1 seconds; for a GTS Coupé with PDK and a Sport Chrono Package Plus in Sport Plus mode the benchmark sprint takes just 4.2 seconds.
True to the Porsche Intelligent Performance philosophy, this additional sportiness goes hand in hand with more rational appeal: the new 911 Carrera GTS consumes no more fuel than the Carrera S in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Fuel consumption of a Carrera GTS with PDK in the NEDC is 27.7 mpg (10.2 litres/100 km) and CO2 emissions are 240 g/km.
Unique within the 911 Carrera family, the GTS combines the 44 millimetre wider body of the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 models – including widened rear track – with a classic rear-wheel drive configuration.
There are many more details which underline the design and technology of the GTS from other Carrera models. For instance, the GTS sits on 19-inch centre-locking RS Spyder alloy wheels, painted in black with high-gloss finished rims, with 235/35 ZR 19 tyres on the front axle and 305/30 ZR 19 tyres on the rear.
Further features include the SportDesign front apron with spoiler edge painted in black, special side skirts also in black, and the Carrera GTS logotype on doors and rear lid, in black or silver depending on the body colour. The area between the two tailpipes on the rear apron is also finished in black.
Click here to see a beautiful clip of the Carrera GTS in action on our SkiddPlayer.
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I’d have one of these for the wheels alone.
This is actually a rather good option if you take the power kit into the equation. The power kit alone is worth far more than the price increase over a C2S.
Aries, I’m not sure if you saw my tweet from earlier on but it dawned on me that this is essentially a mass produced 911 Sport Classic – same 408PS 3.8-litre engine, widebody 2WD profile – and yet at Euro 105,000 it is considerably cheaper than the limited edition SC. The Sport Classic was priced at Euro 169,000, although my notes also tell me that 19% VAT would be added to that price (surely not!) – either way, the GTS is at least 65% cheaper.
Then, as you said, when compared to a C2S with powerkit it still proves to be something of a bargain so I’ll be interested to see exactly how it fits between a C2S and GT3, given Porsche’s claim that it’s the most sporting non GT3 911 that they’ve made..
The more I hear about the GTS, the more it sounds like a complete bargain. Yes the next model version of the 911 range is due out in the next 12 months or so, but anyone wanting a new non GT/Turbo 911 in the immediate future would be daft not to make it a GTS. Like you say Steve, I’d be very interested to see how it stacks up against the GT3.
I’ve been hoping for a wide-bodied rear drive Carrera for awhile (that’s cheaper than the SC). However, despite liking a plain, de-winged 911, I can’t see myself getting one over a GT3. After all, I like my 911’s with wings, too.
I agree Mike and like Steve says it’ll be interesting to see how this fits between the C2S and GT3. Surely there becomes a tipping point where there are too many models in the range?