EXTERIOR
When looking at the GTS’ exterior the first thing that stands out is the color combination of the GTS Carmine Red and matte black wheels. The Carmine Red is a darker that the regular Guards Red, which in my opinion results in a more elegant red and less in your face while still remaining sporty.
The wheels of the GTS are the 20” wheels that up until now were exclusive to the Turbo S, but finished in matte black (or shiny silk as Porsche calls it) exclusively in the GTS. The wheels in black looks really good when combined with the exterior red, the only other case in which I like black wheels are in white body cars. A bonus is that these wheels do not look dirty with the build up of brake pad dust since it’s not the same color but also due to matte black finish. And they whole is completed with the calipers being red matching the bodywork.
These wheels come with centerlocks as well, like in the GT3 or TurboS. The centerlocks even though derived from motorsports to allow for a faster tire change and also decrease the rotational masses compared to the traditional lug nuts, in these street versions the centerlocks are more an aesthetic element than anything else because they do not provide quicker or easier wheel changes in this case and the decrease in the rotational mass of the centerlock in iis offset by the reinforcement the street wheel need around it compared to the five lug nuts. That said as an aesthetic element it could not look better, they really stand out when looking at the car since they are not common and add to the sportiness of the car.
The second thing that stands out in the GTS is the extra width of the rear wheel arches since the GTS even in its RDW version comes with the 44mm wider widebody of the GT3 and AWD versions.
Also the lack of chromed elements is another thing that make it look sportier than the regular Carrera. The word sportier is a word that I will be repeating a lot when talking about the exterior, interior and driving experience, the downside is that for this reason it grabs a bit more attention than I like when I’m driving enjoying the car.
For example in the exterior, lots of shiny metal elements have been replaced by black ones, from the rear engine cover to the headlight covers and their corresponding washer heads, or the wheels, or the read model designation letters, or the exhaust tips that come in black chrome.
The GTS comes with the SportDesign side mirrors like the ones in the GTS. Apart from their more sporty design they are also smaller than the standard ones which is nice.
The front bumper is also the SportDesign bumper, which is not only lower than the standard Carrera bumper and reduces buoyancy increasing stability at higher speed, but also comes painted down to the bottom lip, which is part of the bumper and not a removable black lip.
The headlights come darkened in the GTS, and the headlight washer heads come in black instead of chrome. This in combination with the black wheels and intakes makes the front end look sportier and less shiny. It also comes standard with Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) which rotates the lights into the corners to increase visibility in curves and also adapts the intensity of the beam according to the speed.
And to finish with the front end, another detail that is different from the std Carrera is that the lateral bumper turn signals and LED in the GTS.
The trunk of the GTS is 125 liters, which is the same as the other widebody AWD versions and GT3, but a bit less than the RWD Carreras which have 145 liters.
Following the “sportier” theme of the GTS, the GTS does not come with sunroof so that the roof line looks cleaner. This works with me since personally I’m not a fan of sunroofs in the 911, in my previous 997S I opted with the factory sunroof delete option, its something I don’t use when driving because of the buffeting and noise, it adds weight, often develop rattles and while not the case of the 991 generation, they decrease headroom in the 997/996 versions.
In the rear, the major changes in the GTS is the read engine cover which is a more classic design and in black, with the outer part of the ribs in shinier black, this makes it stand out more to give it a sportier touch to the rear. To give the GTS’ a more distinguishing touch they also added a matching black rear grill were the AWD versions have the reflector between the rear headlights. The exhaust tips come in chrome black in the GTS as well.
The rear spoiler remains unchanged in the GTS which I like since I’m not a fan of rear wings (save for the GT3), however an interesting detail is that the spoiler in the GTS raises to a higher position than the Carrera/S, this is to give it more downforce on the rear axle, I’m guessing to balance the SportDesign front bumpers more aggressive aerodynamics effect on the front axle..
Under the engine lid as we all know there is nothing to see, there wasn’t much to see already on the 996/997 but still, its a shame.
And finally the last thing about the exterior in the rear is the model designation letters which come in black of course. However so many words there (“Porsche 911 Carrera GTS”) doesn’t make sense to me and frankly I find it a bit distasteful, so I opted to remove the “911 Carrera GTS” and just leave GTS in the center.
Re: 991 Carrera GTS - Extensive RoadTest Review
