If you thought we didn’t need another Carrera version of the current 911, look away now – the Carrera GTS is revealed today, boasting a little bit more power, a millisecond or two of extra performance, a smidge more width, a smattering of cosmetic frippery and costing £12,500 more than a boggo model. If you happen to be Che Guevara or any other revolutionary, it isn’t for you.
Let’s face it, this is a fairly blatant run-out job, with the next 911 due next year, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be brilliant to drive. And it looks way cool, too, on those high-gloss black alloys.
What’s new about the GTS?
First, they’ve taken the 3.8-litre flat six from the Carrera S and eked out an extra 23bhp, making the GTS good for 402bhp. Then they’ve performed a trick with the intake manifold which, with five extra tuning flaps over the standard engine, produce the same peak torque (310lb ft) at 4200rpm – 200rpm lower. This potentially alters the character of the engine significantly, making it more pliable than we’re used to.
The GTS gets a sports exhaust system with black-painted pipes. The standard gearbox is the six-speed manual, but the seven-speed PDK can be optioned.
So, it’s the fastest Carrera yet?
Yes, but get back in your box – you’d have to be a human speed gun to notice a 0.1-second improvement in 0-62mph time (it’s 4.2sec, by the way), and if you claim to get real benefit from a top speed squeezed from 188mph to 190mph then you need to have a serious word with yourself (and probably get yourself a decent lawyer).
One thing’s fairly certain, the GTS will handle with the 911’s customary wieldiness – it’s rear-engined and rear-wheel drive after all – but it also benefits from the Carrera 4’s wider rear track. The body is 44mm wider too, as a result.
I’m an anorak. What are the detailing clues?
Apart from the whopping great badges? Well, the 19in RS Spyder black alloys, a bespoke front apron with black-painted lip, new side skirts and a black finished rear apron between the twin pipes give the game away from the outside.
Inside you get black Alcantara sports seats, plus Alcantara steering wheel, gearstick and handbrake.
Where do I sign?
Nowhere at all until December when the GTS goes on sale in the UK, priced at £76,758 for the coupe and £83,493 for the cabrio. But with the all-new car knocking on the door it’s a brave man who’ll write a cheque like this, no matter how foxy a proposition it sounds.