Porsche adds Carrera GTS to 911 line-up

The Porsche 911 has went through countless iterations, each generation looking hardly changed from the one it replaced. The latest generation, designated internally as the 997, boasted no fewer than 18 different variants officially on sale. After the upcoming Paris Motor Show however, that number is going to become 20 as Porsche is set to introduce the 911 Carrera GTS, to be available in Coupe and Cabriolet form.

Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet & Coupe

Scheduled to go on sale in Germany from December 2010, the GTS will be the most powerful 911 with a Carrera badge having 408hp on tap from its 3.8-litre flat-six, still a comfortable distance from the 435hp 911 GT3. It produces the same 420Nm of torque as the Carrera S, but serves it a full 200rpm earlier.

3.8-litre flat-six produces 408hp & 420Nm

Buyers have the option of specifying the GTS with either a good old six-speed manual transmission or Porsche’s new seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. In manual guise, the GTS maxes out at 306kph. Porsche quotes a century sprint time of 4.2 seconds for the GTS Coupe with PDK and Sport Chrono Package, which we shall assume is the fastest possible time amongst all the possible variant combos.

Externally, the GTS will feature the wider body from the AWD Carrera 4 models, but continues to retain a RWD architecture. At the four corners are 19″ centre-mount black-painted RS Spyder wheels with high-gloss finish rim flanges. A further demonstration of intent can be seen at the rear, with 305/30 ZR19 rubber summoned to put the engine’s power to the tarmac.

Interior

Porsche has announced a price, inclusive of 19% VAT for the German market to be € 104,935 for the GTS Coupe and €115,050 for the GTS Cabriolet.

KON