Remember when Porsche announced the specs of the new, 991-based GT3? All kinds of expletives were thrown at it for having an electric steering and refusing the purists the joys of a manual gearbox.
Then came the reviews and they all agreed on one thing: that for the motoring enthusiast, this is the car to have. No arguing here, even rival makers have sang its praise. Except for the fact that some people may yearn for the driving dynamics of a GT3 but would like something a bit more practical, and less tiring, to use every day. Something with rear seats, less road noise etc.
Enter the new 911 GTS, the car that Porsche says fills the gap between the regular Carrera S and the hardcore GT3. Its 424bhp output suggests the same, as does the 3.8 seconds time it needs for the 0-60 mph acceleration.
That’s at least the quoted figure for the Carrera 4 GTS driven by Autocar editor Steve Sutcliffe. This particular car was fitted with every extra on Porsche’s options list so the price gap to the GT3, which was already small, evaporates.
The thing we really want to know, though, is if the 911 GTS has what it takes to fulfill its maker’s promises. Find out by watching the video right after the break.