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Porsche 997 C4 GTS v 991 C4 GTS showdown

We’re in Evo Triangle country. Sitting just outside the Snowdonia National Park we visited for our 991 supertest in issue 118, this region offers up a veritable sweet shop of twisting tarmac.

With wide, open sweepers and tighter, more testing asphalt, the Denbigh Moors are the perfect proving ground for analysing a car’s full range of abilities. And boy, do these two 911s have ability…

Although we’re in oft-used territory, the stomping grounds for myriad other motoring magazines, there’s no need to worry. This is very much a Total 911 photoshoot.

Porsche 997 Carrera 4 GTS

The 997 and 991 pairing at rest on the edge of the wind-chopped waters of Alwen Reservoir are possibly the best all-round Porsche 911s produced this century. In fact, they are perhaps two of the most complete neunelfers ever built.

I understand that this is quite a statement to make but these cars have an insatiable appetite for dishing up dynamic brilliance. This is just as well, because this duo shares an evocative three-letter badge on the decklid: GTS.

Like many of Porsche’s greatest tags, the Carrera GTS moniker started life on the track, on the back of the 1964 Targa Florio-winning 904 prototype. It would take a further 46 years before Zuffenhausen bestowed the GTS badge on a 911, though, initially launching a rear-wheel-drive version in December 2010.

Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS

Five months later, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS was rolled out, providing an all-weather variant to run out the 997 generation. However, this wasn’t just Porsche’s way of celebrating the most successful era of 911 production ever.

The 997 Carrera GTS and Carrera 4 GTS were widely considered top-drawer sports cars, embodying the very best of the neunelfer spirit.

To read our full Porsche 997 Carrera 4 GTS versus Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS head-to-head, pick up Total 911 issue 125 in store now. Alternatively, order your copy online for home delivery or download it straight to your digital device.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS showdown

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