GTS Supertest
The last of the naturally-aspirated GTS 911s go head-to-head. Which is the best all-rounder: Coupe, Cabriolet or Targa?
GTS: three letters that, when siphoned together, evoke a strong yet wonderfully nostalgic sporting spirit in the Porsche world. As you’ll know, the legend started more than 50 years ago with the 904 Carrera GTS, a Targa Florio-winning car that gave rise to the infallible 917, and was reignited for the 911 production line in 2010 with the 997 Carrera GTS. A run-out special with high-quality options appointed as standard to the specification, a 997 GTS is an exquisite Carrera with genuine sporting intentions. It’s a Total 911 favourite and, if that’s not reason enough for you to find similar endearment with it, just take a look at the classifieds to see its current value. Certainly, no other 997 outside of the GT2/3/RS lineup has enjoyed such refusal to significantly depreciate.
Then came the 991 GTS, this time introduced for the first generation. Rolled out across Coupe and Cabriolet body styles in two- and four-wheel drive along with, for the first time, a Targa variant, worldwide Porsche marketing wasted little time in billing this new GTS lineup as ‘driving purity’. And, in context with the rest of the first-generation 991 range, there’s a genuine case in favour of that PR slant emanating from Zuffenhausen: all are naturally aspirated and have a passive rear axle, with a manual gearbox offered as standard – a combined setup which has never rolled out of Werk II since (as the 991.2 GT3 has rear steer as standard).
However, such a blanket approach to the entire lineup would be naive. While the rear-driven manual Coupe quickly found favour on our first drive back in issue 121 (culminating in a 4.5-star rating in our data file) Total 911’s writer extraordinaire Kyle Fortune described the Cabriolet in all-wheel-drive form with PDK as “evidence in spirit and reality that the GTS badge should be limited to a handful of models rather than the entire 911 lineup.” There were similar musings too when the Targa was later unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. Suddenly, Porsche had evolved the GTS moniker into an entire sub-brand within the 911 range, but has it proved the right thing to do?
It’s a question that Total 911 needed to investigate, and only a trip to our favourite blacktop in rural North Wales with every 991.1 GTS variant would suffice. That’s why I find myself sitting at the wheel of a Sapphire blue 991 GTS Cabriolet as I zip along the A55 past Anglesey. Josh Barnett sits 30 yards ahead of me in a Racing yellow Targa 4 GTS, while my internal rear view mirror reflects the visuals of a Guards red GTS Coupe, piloted by videographer and
petrolhead Louis Ruff. It’s four in the afternoon and we’ve already accumulated over 15 hours of driving between the three Porsches. The drive has seldom proved arduous though, aside for the monotony of multiple motorways, a testament to the 991’s grand touring credentials if nothing else. However, on the proving ground of the Snowdonia asphalt that sits just 20 minutes down the road, an altogether more pressing challenge awaits as our GTS triplets seek to prove themselves as ever-capable sports cars – the final bastions of quintessential Porsche driving purity – and worthy of sitting just below a GT3 in the 991’s model lineup.
We turn off the A55 and head south towards Llanberis and its eponymous pass. En route to this great driver’s road, the carriageway narrows and the nondescript topography around us is replaced by majestic slate cliffs rising high above us and into the sky’s dark grey clouds. It’s threatening to rain and, though the Cabriolet’s roof is stowed, leaving me exposed to the elements, I’m not worried. The roads are quiet so I can slow down to 30mph and continue my journey while the roof mechanism springs into action, returning the three canvas-lined slats and heated glass rear window to their original position in just nine seconds. However, the same cannot be said for Josh in the 991 Targa, who will have to pull over and stop for an agonising 19 seconds while its heavy glass panoramic window momentarily makes way for the stowed canvas roof underneath. With it being North Wales in early autumn, it’s a safe bet to assume the open-topped Targa won’t fare well in a game of rain roulette.
The rain relents though – for now – and, as our three GTSS approach the lowly north side of the pass, the fun can at last begin. There’s a deep growl ahead as Josh deploys the Targa’s Sports Exhaust, reverberating a raucous howl around the valley on his exit from the first, tight S-bend. I take after him, selecting ‘Sport’ on the centre console before blipping the throttle and pulling the manual shifter down through the gate from third and into second. A quick, slick manoeuvre through the S-bend is executed with little drama, the Cabriolet not found wanting for a rapid turn of pace through a corner. Second gear with plenty of revs is perfect for our blast up the pass and, by the time we reach the top at the Pen-y-pass, we’re ready to turn around, head back down the mountain and do it all again.
The autumnal sun soon starts to disappear behind the peak of the valley’s westerly cliff rise, replaced by low-lying cloud and light drizzle as our three GTSS deal with the succession of left-right turns all the way up to the top of the pass for a second and then third time. You can learn a lot about a car on this beautiful road to Llanberis: the corners come thick and fast and there’s a brilliant variance in pace and pitch required for each turn. The undulating nature of the surface is delightfully cut-throat too, meaning mechanical grip is important, particularly for our trio of Porsches, each with a useful 430hp on tap. I expect this real-world proving ground to quickly denounce the Cabriolet’s sporting credentials but, happily, I am proven wrong. The Cabriolet is blessed by that wonderful balance bestowed upon the 991 platform, though this doesn’t make the car invincible, particularly in traditional rear-drive form as here. This is characterised by a momentary loss of traction as the rear axle skips over the slippery road surface and slips out behind me on exit from a tight left turn, though the movement is progressive and easily contained with some quick counter steer.
The action makes me smile: it’s a moment of added spice that should be a trait of any sports car worth taking seriously, and is evidence enough this Cabriolet is no lethargic grand tourer. With -20mm Sport suspension and PASM, the car feels tight, and with that Powerkit ensuring peak torque is delivered at 5,250rpm, it’s certainly no slouch out of a corner either. I’m impressed, though I quickly find
annoyance with the auto blip function on downshift in Sport Plus mode – it merely takes away the fun of doing it yourself, after all. Damping is firm and you can feel the extra stiffening employed on this open-topped 991 each time a discrepancy in the road’s surface is found. Firming the ride up with PASM Sport makes the Cabriolet uncomfortable on public roads and, with only a handful of opentopped 911s ever gracing a track in anger, the PASM button remains a largely superfluous addition to the Cabriolet’s armour. These are small blotches on the otherwise immaculate copy paper for the Cabriolet and, as I climb out of its cockpit and swap keys with Josh, I’m satisfied that, with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, it’s a car that upholds the sporting credulity associated with the GTS moniker.
Settling into the Targa though presents an altogether different experience. Stymied by an additional 60kg weight penalty over the Cabriolet (thanks to that heavy glass rear screen and compulsory four-wheel-drive system) the Targa can’t help but languish behind the others in a straight line dash. This means that, in order to get the Targa shifting, a very aggressive driving style is required. I’m wringing the revs out before each gear change and keeping that needle firmly on the right-hand side of the tachometer, though Josh and Louis in the Cabriolet and Coupe are similarly on it and the Targa can’t help but look lethargic. Ride quality is surprisingly good thanks to revised damping, but still the Targa doesn’t feel as tight as the Cabriolet.
Nevertheless, I’m making up ground on the other two GTSS in corners, the all-wheel-drive system with active torque distribution allowing me to carry more speed into a turn, safe in the knowledge that the front end will grip time after time. It’s not as fun as having to weight up the front end of my own accord, as I would have to do in the other cars present, but I can’t knock a system that lets me lean on the loud pedal more often than not.
Like the Cabriolet, this Targa is fitted with Porsche’s reworked seven-speed manual gearbox, and is nothing short of a revelation over old. We never quite got on with the stick shift fitted to early 991s, our PDK vs manual test from issue 113 showing the ‘box to be thwarted by an uncharacteristically notchy throw through each gate and an awkward spring loading, meaning we usually found third when dropping from the long seventh into fifth. Porsche listened and revitalised the system in time for the GTS, ensuring that manually changing gears is once again fun in a 911. That horrid vagueness between gates is mostly gone, replaced by a beautifully direct throw when a new cog is called upon. I’m adamant the shifter itself feels lighter too, though not too light as to be superficial.
Darkness falls as our GTS trinity weaves south to our night-time stopover at Dolgellau. Conversation at dinner revolves around that manual gearbox
(“The shift in the 4WD Targa is better than even the old seven-speed in just rear-drive,” Josh ascertains) while the Targa continues to divide opinion as to whether it’s worthy of that fabled GTS moniker. “The Targa GTS is still flawed as an open-top 911 but
dynamically it loses little and, in my eyes, it certainly looks the part,” Josh says.
“But it’s nearly as heavy as a Turbo and can’t rely on forced induction to get it moving,” I remind him.
Next morning, we make haste and head for our favourite UK road, the B4391. Though we’re no strangers to the blacktop of North Wales, the Total 911 team knows this 8.1-mile route between Bala and Ffestiniog like no other. Different to the tighter steer of the Llanberis Pass, the B4391 is largely flowing asphalt, broken up by a mixture of sweeping and more technical corners. Gears 2-5 are called upon here, with frequent cog changing necessary to maintain a lightning pace.
I slide behind the wheel of the Coupe first. This 991 is a delight to drive: boasting rear-drive and a comparable featherweight mass of 1,425kg, the 130kg saving – equivalent to two of me – gives the Coupe a dexterity the open-topped GTSS just can’t touch. Here, the thesis of Porsche’s GTS package reigns supreme: carbon inlays and Alcantara inserts decorating the interior feel purposeful rather than flamboyant mise-en-scene; optional lightweight bucket seats offer a firm hold while still proving comfortable over long journeys; and even a PDK gearbox is excusable, offering lightning-quick changes as the 991 refuses to drop a single thrust of forwards momentum. It’s so sprightly and quick off the mark with a great flat six soundtrack afforded by that bellowing Sports exhaust. Driver inputs still need to be carefully considered, however, as while there’s plenty of grip at the car’s rear (11.5-inches of tyre width at either corner putting paid to that), the nose can still go light on turn-in – a trademark any 911 aficionado will find familiarity with. If anything, this Coupe is too accomplished, the optional PCCBS making light work of scrubbing off speed with only the lightest press of the brakes. That, coupled with a gear change requiring a mere finger pull of a paddle, leaves any driver with little to do despite the ludicrous speeds on offer.
So, does a 991 GTS offer driving purity? Yes – but that purity is not guaranteed and is dependant on spec. This 991 GTS Coupe makes light work of the B4391, and the amusement on Josh’s face in the Cabriolet behind tells me he’s also found favour with its purist intentions. Two of three cars have passed the test. In a moment of softness I take one more go in the Targa to see if it can complete a clean-sweep of success before we depart North Wales. I find myself willing it to impress and take solace with the Powerkit’s ability to give greater urgency lower down the rev range, but the sobering reality is I finish our test in a 991 that falls short of that ‘purist’ model for which Porsche wants the GTS to be associated with.
The issue here is vehicle mass. It’s impossible to label a car that weighs more than 1.5 tonnes as a ‘purist’ sports car, despite plying it with a mechanical LSD and all the technology Zuffenhausen can muster. Perhaps that’s the problem: while we take no issue with the all-wheel-drive system (a 4WD Coupe will still make for an exquisite GTS for those who prefer more of an all-round durability in a 991), in the Targa’s case, the heavy nature of the lifting glass roof panel and all its associated mechanicals, along with the extra mass of all-wheel drive, creates a 911 that seems to have lost its sprightly character.
Sure, the Targa offers a stunning visual as a modern open-topped 911, but those aesthetics are the closest it gets to a classicist, purist Porsche in GTS form – though, as turbo’d 911 Carreras have since become the norm, history may yet be kind.