Rome, ITALY. Apropos that we’re here in the country to savor and celebrate all things GTS — three letters that stand for Gran Turismo Sport, but also represent a world of meaning for Porsche.
After all, gran turismo is Italian for “grand touring” and is a term that has for many auto brands encapsulated the supreme joy of driving through high-performance vehicles. Though it is said that the identity of the original coiner of the term has been lost in history, the concept of a GT car remains: It should be both luxurious and sporty.
At the outset, it might be a misconstrued as a dichotomy. But perhaps therein lies the allure of the class. It gives you the best of both worlds.
Equipped for everyday performance, any model in Porsche’s GTS line can comfortably take you to the office, to that moviehouse, to the mall, and even to that grocery so you could replenish that tray of eggs in your refrigerator. As the world returns to work, you can count on your Porsche to be your eye-catching chariot.
However, on those days where you need to scratch that special kind of itch for speed, then your GTS will not disappoint you as well. Porsche underscores, “Within the portfolio, engineers and designers have developed a wide array of models. There’s a Porsche for virtually every situation. If you want a car that is packed with excitement, three letters are all you need: GTS models are especially dynamic and agile derivatives that still manage to impress in everyday use. They offer a balance of performance and everyday practicality.”
So Porsche deigns that the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi, a historic circuit a couple of hours from the busy Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma-Fiumincino, as the site where members of the international media can go to scratch that itch.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The “everyday” part of the equation is pleasantly exhibited through our drive from our Roman lodgings to Vallelunga itself. Past winding roads with scenic vistas, long straightaways, and even some patchy stretches of pockmarked asphalt, the Macan GTS I am piloting remains compliant and forgiving.
While the GTS guises of other models are effectively mid-rangers, the Macan GTS lies on the top of the model’s totem pole. Powering the model is a 2.9-liter V6 biturbo that serves up 440ps and 550Nm, with the grunt coming from 1,900 to 5,600rpm, to allow the SUV to charge from a standstill to 100kph in as little as 4.3 ticks with the optional Sport Chrono package or 4.3 seconds without it. The top rate for this Macan is an autobahn-worthy 272kph, the highest rate this model has ever mustered.
Arriving at the Vallelunga, I am almost sorry to relinquish the wheel and disembark from that sweet ride. But there are more Porsches to savor — and on the track at that.
First up is the alpha among alphas: the 911. With a zero-to-100kph time of 3.3 seconds, power of 480ps, and torque of 570Nm, the vehicle hugs the turns of the circuit with German precision. Its wide tires seem to love the abuse and the changes in direction, while the bucket seat keeps me in place.
Next is the 718 GTS (a Cayman). Rocketed forward by a four-liter, six-cylinder, naturally aspirated mill, it submits 400ps and 420Nm — surpassing its S counterpart by a hefty 50ps. Porsche says the powertrain of these models is “essentially the same as that of the 718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder. The Cayman GTS proves more playful on the course – shows its limits more readily than the self-assured 911. And that means it is more unforgiving toward me when I fail to brake correctly or hit the apex the right way. Well played, 718. I shall get even with you yet.
The stately Panamera GTS, on the other hand, simultaneously feels large and angry. A four-liter V8 bi-turbo gives the car its numbers (zero to 100kph in 3.9 ticks, 480ps, and 620Nm). The GTS gets a Sport Design package with lots of exterior accents in black as standard. It gets lots of Alcantara on the inside. It’s not as willing to change directions as its smaller brethren because, well, that’s physics for you, but it flaunts its luxe feel unabashedly.
As for the Taycan GTS, where do I begin? Having driven its base version in our local roads, I wasn’t exactly surprised by the massive amount of torque on demand, and an acceleration that will spill your coffee onto your rear passenger. But that all this drama unfolding within a whisper-quiet cabin is just surreal. The GTS can sprint from a standstill to 100kph in 3.7 ticks – a result of its 598ps and 850Nm of output.
“The GTS started with the 904 GTS in 1964. That was a really a racecar, but for the sake of homologation it had to have some creature comforts and basically license plates,” says Porsche Asia Pacific Head of PR and Communications Brendan Mok. “That kind of philosophy has carried onto all future GTS models like the 924 GTS, 928 GTS – and eventually GTS versions of all our model lines… with the most recent addition being the Taycan.
“We’ve got some really cool exterior differentiators. For example, the headlights and taillights are dark-tinted. We see some very nice black contrast accents on the car and also very special aerodynamic changes on some of the models, especially in the 911,” he explains.
And what should one expect in the a GTS if he or she is going to track it? “You’re going to really have fun on track,” Mok maintains. “The suspension system is different, the brakes have been uprated so you can go hard on them, and expect to gun away from every corner.”
And so go hard we do. Così è la vita.