911 GTS an even sweeter proposition

The sweet spot – noun [usually singular]: The particular situation, quality, or combination of things that is the best or most effective possible.

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Porsche’s 911 GTS has always occupied a sweet spot in the 911 range. The offering has now become even sweeter, with five new model variants to accommodate the discerning sports car driver's diverse desires.

Twelve years ago, the first GTS version of the 911 was presented to an eager sports car market that embraced the tenets of true enjoyment. Now, a new generation of this popular model has been developed with more power, revised looks, and even better driving dynamics. One of the model range’s most endearing features is undoubtedly its distinctive look which, despite changing incrementally over time, has retained its original sporty stance. g

Style with substance

Porsche’s new 911 GTS range retains its understated but decidedly sporty appearance, with the body now featuring black contrasting elements with darkened headlight areas. Black is also the interior’s dominant colour, with the black or darkened exterior details characteristic of the 911 GTS. On the 911 Targa 4 GTS, this also includes the model-defining hoop and Targa lettering. Additional elements are painted in black silk gloss and include the spoiler lip, the centre-lock alloy wheels, the engine cover louvres, and the GTS script on the doors and rear of the car. These exterior details are available in a high-gloss black. All 911 GTS models have the SportDesign package, with distinctive trim for the front, rear and side sills. The headlight rims and daytime running light surrounds are darkened, and the car is fitted with standard LED headlights with the Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus). The rear lights are unique to the GTS models.

The attention to detail continues inside the cockpit, merging looks with function. As an example, the gear lever of the optional seven-speed manual transmission available on the 911 Carrera GTS Coupé has been shortened by 10mm, enabling swifter gear changes at a flick of the wrist.

Steering is via the beautifully designed GT Sport steering wheel, with the Sport Chrono package included featuring a mode switch, the Porsche Track Precision app, a central analogue/digital clock, and a tyre temperature display as standard. For comfort, the GTS offers Sport Seats Plus with electric four-way adjustments to provide lateral support, comfort, and convenience.

Race-Tex features underscore the elegant dynamic character of the 911 GTS with central sections of the seats, steering wheel rim, door handles and armrests, storage compartment lid, and gear lever all trimmed in this stylish material. With the GTS interior package, the decorative seams are available in Carmine Red or Crayon as an option. The seatbelts and embroidered GTS lettering on the headrests, rev counter and Sport Chrono clock also come in the same contrasting colours. The decorative inserts on the dashboard and door trim are matt Carbon.

Power and grace

The turbocharged three-litre flat six engine in the new 911 GTS delivers 353kW and an extremely flexible maximum torque of 570Nm, an increase of 20Nm over its predecessor. The 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupé with the eight-speed Porsche dual-clutch transmission (PDK) accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, three-tenths of a second faster than its predecessor. A seven-speed manual transmission with the shortthrow gear lever is available only for the 911 Carrera GTS Coupé, with rear-wheel drive as a no-cost alternative to the PDK.

Pricing is:

• 911 Carrera GTS Coupé – $314,800 (manual or automatic – rear-wheel-drive)

• 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet – $347,700 (rear-wheel-drive)

• 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupé – $334,000 (all-wheel-drive)

• 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet – $366,900 (all-wheel-drive)

• 911 Targa 4 GTS – $366,900 (all-wheel-drive)

Derived from the 911 Turbo, the suspension has been modified for the GTS and meets exacting performance demands. Thanks to its standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), the dampers respond to dynamic changes at lightning speed. PASM is standard in the Coupé and Cabriolet, and is combined with a 10mm-lower sport chassis. The concept of helper springs at the rear stems from the Turbo models, with the mainsprings under tension in all driving conditions. Rebound remains the same. The 911 Targa 4S chassis with PASM is used for the 911 Targa 4 GTS. In a nod to the model’s increased performance, the engineers have tuned its stopping performance to match its increased power, making use of the 911 Turbo’s high-performance braking system. The 20inch (front) and 21-inch (rear) black centre-lock alloy wheels are also from the 911 Turbo S.

To ensure drivers are treated to an all-encompassing experience, the standard sports exhaust system provides an even more emotive soundtrack thanks to its GTS-specific setup and the omission of some interior insulation.

Driving dynamics are further improved with the Lightweight Design package, available for the first time on a GTS. The package includes lighter carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) full bucket seats, lightweight glass for the side and rear windows, and a lightweight battery. The rear seats are also removed. Other performance enhancements include rear-axle steering as standard in this equipment package and additional aerodynamic finishing touches. New air guide elements in the front section of the underbody reduce lift at the front, with the adaptive rear spoiler’s programming adjusted accordingly. Altogether, this creates a weight saving of up to 25kg.

Under new management

Refinements to the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) have added functions and significantly simplified operation. The media menu’s touch areas have been enlarged, with the option now available of rearranging the home screen tiles to suit individual preferences. An improved voice assistant recognises natural speech, activated by the words ‘Hey Porsche’. Compatible mobile phones can be fully utilised in the new GTS models, with iOS and Android users able to enjoy full connectivity. In Australia, the 911 GTS models will be equipped with metallic paint, automatically dimming mirrors including rain sensor, electrically folding exterior mirrors, ParkAssist (front and rear) with reversing camera and Surround View, Lane Change Assist, Comfort Access, Power Steering Plus, steering wheel heating, seat heating (front), windscreen with grey top tint, tyre sealant and electric air compressor, BOSE Surround Sound System, and digital radio as standard.

The 911 GTS models are available to order now and are expected to arrive in Australia from the first quarter of 2022. •

904 Carrera GTS

The original, beautiful GTS

After having withdrawn from the Formula One season at the end of 1962, Porsche turned its attention to sportscar racing.

The 904 debuted in 1963 for the following year’s racing season as a successor to the 718, with the GTS variant designed to compete in the FIA-GT class at international events.

A street-legal version was made in order to comply with homologation regulations of that era, which required 100 roadgoing variants to be sold. Porsche produced 108, 904s with a list price of around US$7000, which were quickly snapped up.

These 108 cars were made with chassis number 904, with one six-cylinder prototype and two eight-cylinder coupes in the mix. However, most had the two-litre quad cam flat four-cylinder engine driving through a five-speed transmission. Remember, this is the early 1960s and these were very sophisticated engines; as usual, Porsche did not stop at engineering sophisticated motors. For the first time, Porsche used a ladder chassis and fibreglass body, bonded to the steel chassis for extra rigidity. Its ultra-sleek and low design enabled the car to achieve a remarkable drag coefficient of just 0.34.

The four-cylinder 904s weighed around 655kg in race trim, though this varied slightly as the moulded fibreglass was of slightly different thicknesses in different bodies. Regardless of a few grams here and there, the car’s low weight gave it the ability to accelerate from a standing start to 97km/h in less than six seconds.

Another first for the 904 was its use of coil springs rather than a trailing arm front suspension and swing axle rear. More than anything, though, the elegant sweeping body of the 904 GTS caught everyone’s attention. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the 911, was tasked with designing the 904 after becoming manager of the Porsche design studios.

In 1964, the race car took the international endurance racing scene by storm. Its career began with a class win in Sebring and continued at Le Mans; as a highlight, the 904 GTS even managed a double victory at the Targa Florio, the infamous endurance race in Sicily.

While the four-cylinder 904s were racing, the eight-cylinder fuelinjected prototype (904-009) was tested at Le Mans in April 1964. A week later, the 008 eight-cylinder was entered in the Targa Florio road race in the prototype category. But it was Antonio Pucci/ Colin Davis in a four-cylinder 904-005 that took the overall victory, followed by Gianni Balzarini/Herbert Linge in a four-cylinder 904-006.

For the 1964 running of the famous Nürburgring 1000km Race, 19, 904s had signed up. Not all arrived, but there were eight among the first 12 places. Gerhard Koch/Ben Pon won the two-litre GT class with chassis 904-055, and were third overall after largerengined Ferraris.

Although the 904 was designed as a racing car with low 12cm ride height, two 904s were entered into the Rallye Monte Carlo in January 1965. Despite the title, it was really a rally ‘to’ Monte Carlo as the start was given from different European locations. All Porsche drivers started from Frankfurt. After six days, the 904 driven by Eugen Bohringer and co-piloted by Rolf Wütherich scored second. Wütherich is known as James Dean’s mechanic who survived the horrific 550 Spyder crash in 1955.

This success was the birth of a new stamp of quality – GTS. The abbreviation still stands for more power, more speed, more performance … in short, more Porsche. The premise was performance and agility plus comfort, originally intended to make it easier for private drivers to concentrate during races. Now, the famous moniker graces the latest 911 series.

Ken Price's 904

904s in Australia

Alan Hamilton, son of Australian Porsche dealership founder Norman Hamilton, was a keen motorsports competitor who raced a 904 with chassis number 906-007. Alan headed for Europe in early 1965, working for a while in the Porsche factory. He purchased the 904/8 Bergspyder at that point, which he shipped to Australia for the 1966 season. This 904/8 Bergspyder had finished second in the 1965 Targa Florio road race, but later sat unused in a corner of the competition department. Alan convinced them to replace its flat eight-cylinder engine with a twolitre 906 six-cylinder engine because it would be easier to maintain. After bringing the Bergspyder back to Australia, Alan scored a string of racing successes.

Another 904 that made it to Australia was owned by Ken Price. It was discovered by Ken roughly 10 years ago in the UK, and is now in a private collection. However, it first needed some tender loving care. Ken shipped it across to Australia by air, which is a story in itself. ‘When I bought the 904 in the UK, it was a wreck,’ Ken explains. ‘There was a guy in the UK who was lucky enough to have all the moulds. He restored the body on it, then I flew it into the country.

‘The funniest thing was when I flew it into Australia,’ Ken continues. ‘The 904 is only 39 inches high … and when I was working out the air freight, I thought to myself: "If I took the wheels off, put it on the ground, and built a box around it, how high would the box be?” The box ended up 35 inches high, so I got them to quote on a box and it was about half the price.’

In Australia, the 904 was mechanically restored by John Gregory of Spyder Automobiles, the original owner of the business and a friend of Norman Hamilton. In another twist, Spyder Automobiles had been an authorised Porsche service agent during the 1960s and '70s … but that’s another story. •