Porsche buying guide: 991.2 Carrera GTS
History and tech
The GTS badge appeared fleetingly in 2011 on the run-out 997 and gave an intriguing preview of what Porsche was intending, but it was with the 991.1 GTS that Zuffenhausen really established ‘GTS’ as a sub category in its own right. 911 project manager August Achleitner had described the GTS as “corresponding to customer demand for a sporting yet comfortable Porsche.”
In terms of price and performance the GTS slotted neatly between the Carrera S and GT3, and Porsche made the GTS all the more attractive by endowing it with options which, if all specified on the Carrera S, would have come to significantly more than the list price of the GTS. During its short production run, the 991.1 GTS had garnered much praise and the challenge for Porsche was, as ever, to do even better next
time round.
Available in 2017, the GTS arrived a year and a half after the launch of the 991.2 and once again it used the same format, this being a widebody 911 offered as a two or four-wheel drive Coupé or Cabriolet and as an all-wheel-drive Targa. There was some speculation it might be fitted with a detuned version of the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre of the GT3, but this was to misunderstand the object of the GTS, which was to amplify the dynamic aspects of the Carrera rather than offer a ‘softened’ GT3.
As it was, the GTS took the Carrera S engine together with the Powerkit (in this instance, bigger turbochargers and boost pressure raised from 16 to 18psi) which gave the GTS a 30bhp and 50Nm advantage over the S. The seven-speed manual gearbox was standard and PDK a frequently specified option. Externally the GTS was distinguished by its handsome centrelock wheels (which also reduced unsprung weight) and by its Sport exhaust, whose twin outlets were placed centrally about 20cm apart.
At the front, a more aggressive treatment of the nose was a sign that this was a special 911. PASM, Sport Chrono and active engine mounts were standard and the car sat 10mm lower than the S. If the Sport chassis option was selected, the GTS sat on shortened springs a further 10mm lower; rear-wheel steering and PDCC could also be ordered, as could the (arguably more useful) front axle lift. In a cabin generously accoutred with Alcantara were Porsche’s Sport Plus seats and the GT Sport steering wheel; rear seat delete was a no-cost option.
For our full buyer’s guide to the 991.2 Carrera GTS, pick up your copy of Total 911 issue 202 in store today. Alternatively, order your copy online for home delivery, or download it straight to your digital device now.
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