Porsche are delivering a little stunner just in time for Christmas in the form of the powerful 911 Carrera GTS. JOE wants one.
I’ve not written my list to Santa yet, which is a good thing, as I’ve got a last minute item to add to it. Aside from world domination peace, a pay rise, socks and an iPad, all I want for Christmas is a new 911 Carrera GTS.
Put simply, Porsche have come up with yet another growling, finely tuned stunner.
We’re going through the shittiest of times, so you might think this is the wrong time to launch a new addition to the 911 family, but it’s at times like this that we need something to aspire to.
As the pictures show, the car comes in two versions: coupe and cabriolet and go on sale this month, although you’ll have to import them in from the UK as there’s no longer a Porsche dealership in the Republic (there is a service centre just off exit 16 of the M50 at Rochestown Avenue, Dun Laoghaire and there’s a dealership in Belfast).
The new cars combine rear-wheel drive with a powerful 408 hp 3.8-litre flat six engine (23 hp more than the current Carrera S), resulting in an exceptionally sporting Carrera. The already sharp dynamics of the rear chassis are given a boost by widening the rear track. In fact, it’s all about the rear – the back end of the car has been re-styled in order to emphasise the fact that the powerhouse engine is in the boot.
So in short, this is the arse-wiggling Shakira of the Porsche 911 range. Not surprisingly it’s also very, very quick.
Special attention has been paid to the cylinder charge in the 3.8-litre flat engine fitted to the Carrera GTS in order to deliver 408 hp. A special resonance intake manifold features six vacuum-controlled tuning flaps that switch between power- and torque-optimized 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. The outer shells of the exhaust pipes are painted in black and their inner tubes are polished on the outside and nano-coated.
Quick
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.
You don’t tend to equate supercars with eco-friendliness but in a small nod to saving the planet, 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 44Â millimetre wider body of the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 models – including widened rear track – with a classic rear-wheel drive configuration.
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.
Black
Inside, it’s black all the way, with special attention paid to the places where man and machine come into physical contact, such as the seats, the three-spoke steering wheel, the handbrake and the gear lever (which are all covered with black Alcantara).
So what’s the damage? Well, you’ll pay from £76,758 for the Coupe and £83,493 for the Cabriolet. Note that these are the sterling prices and don’t include the (frankly outrageous) cost of registering your shiny new baby in the State. I’d be opting for the Coupe as, to my mind, this is the purer incarnation of what a 911 should be. I want it all, and on this occasion that includes a roof.
A 911 Carrera GTS is a mighty piece of kit, that will not go unnoticed by others. With this in mind, every car is fitted with a Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), a sophisticated vehicle security package approved to Thatcham Category 5 standard, and before bringing your car home, you’ll be offered the chance to explore the potential of their new car by participating in a complimentary course at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.
So there you have it, Santa. Not much to ask for. Just a supercar to go with the socks this year.
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