2015 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS review: The spirit will move you

We won’t be the first to say that some modern Porsche 911 Carreras have lost some of the early 911’s knife-edge, risk-fraught, tail-happy excitability — the inevitable outcome of demands for safety and space over time. As Porsche pursues an ever-broader base of customers, it now offers some 19 different street-legal flavors of 911 for 2015. With that kind of variety, some invoke the original’s spirit better than others.

To find them, look for the four (coupe and cabriolet, rear and all-wheel-drive) that wear the “GTS” badge on their Kardashianesque derrieres. Like all Porsche “Gran Touring Sport” models from the Boxster to the Panamera, the Carrera GTS is comprehensively sportified in ways that improve its track cred at little cost to daily living. At $115,195, the Carrera GTS coupe with a manual transmission splits the difference between the $99,895 Carrera S and the raucous $131,350 GT3. The four-wheel drive Carrera 4 GTS coupe and the Carrera 2 and 4 cabriolets cost somewhat more, but the way we see it: any GTS (but especially the rear-drive coupe) represents one of the most appealing expressions of pure 911-ness you can get at any price.

And what is that feeling anyway? Start with a bounty of power erupting from behind the rear axle. Thanks to the “Powerkit” from the Carrera S of freer-flowing intake runners and higher-lifting valves, the 3.8-liter boxer six goes from 400 hp to 430 hp at 7,500 rpm (mostly above 6,500 rpm). The motor’s 325 lb-ft of torque remains the same, but peaks 150 rpm higher at 5,750 rpm and has a smoother and flatter torque curve. Both the 7-speed manual and the excellent 7-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission are available, the former an endangered species among performance-inclined buyers.

All GTS models gets the Carrera 4’s sexy, wide hips and use the same suspension and brake hardware as the S, but includes standard PASM adaptive shocks and the Sport Chrono package with its active engine mounts. Center-locking 20-inch multi-spoke wheels from the GT3 and the Turbo S fill out the wheel wells. As with the previous GTS, the new model gets by with a motorized spoiler that retains Butzi Porsche’s original purity of line when not needed for downforce.

We got our first taste of the 2015 GTS on a beautiful morning drive through the Angeles National Forest between Pasadena, Calif., and Willow Springs raceway, with a rear-wheel drive GTS Cabriolet equipped with the PDK. The first thing we notice is an ear-tickling engine note that goes from mellow to mellifluous by pressing the active exhaust button on the center console. Soon, the neighborhoods filled with raw and symphonic flat-6 sounds. We’re not sure Pasadena was ready for us, but we didn’t care; this is aural bliss. On a related note: Who knew Pasadena had so many tunnels?