Porsche has launched the latest generation of its Gran Turismo Sport series, the new 911 Carrera GTS. NOW UPDATED WITH VIDEO
Four iterations of the Carrera GTS will be available in either coupe or cabriolet form, boasting either rear-wheel drive or the AWD system as found in the Carrera 4. All go on sale immediately, with the base Coupe priced at $146,200 and Carrera 4 GTS at $159,900, the convertible models retailing $7,600 more than their respective hardtop counterparts. Porsche’s new Carrera GTS, the fourth model of its Gran Turismo Sport series, joins the Cayman, the Boxster (both of which crankandpiston.com drove recently) and the Panamera.
The 3.8-litre flat-six found in the established Carrera S now produces 424bhp – a bump of 30bhp – and Porsche’s optional Sport Chrono package now comes as standard. With it comes the Porsche Active Suspension Management damper system, which reduces the car’s ride height by 10mm for improved downforce. Combined, these modifications produce heightened acceleration and a higher top speed, meaning a PDK-equipped Carrera GTS can hit 100kph from standstill in four seconds flat (4.2 for the cabriolet). In seven-speed manual, rear-wheel drive guise, the GTS can hit 319kph.
As well as a modified powertrain, subtle changes have also been made to the exterior courtesy of wide-flared rear wheel arches, a wider track, 20-inch alloys, GTS black trim strips across the front grille and black chrome-plated exhaust tailpipes atop the 911 Carrera 4 bodywork.
Porsche buffs can tell you that the GTS moniker dates back to the 904 GTS of 1963, a lineage which also took in the 924 GTS and 928 GTS during the 1980s/1990s and disappeared entirely until the Cayenne GTS emerged in 2007. And now – just after the launch of the new Mercedes AMG GT, the name has returned to the Carrera bodywork. Funny that…
