Currently reading: 4WD 911 GTS announced
Two new Porsche 911s will feature 4WD and will be available as either a cabriolet or coupe

Porsche is extracting two further incarnations out of the current edition 911: the Carrera 4 GTS, in both coupe and cabriolet form.

The firm’s recently announced GT3 RS 4.0 had been widely tipped to be the last 997-edition 911, ahead of the next generation of the car making its debut at the Frankfurt show this coming autumn.

See the official pics of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS

Read more on the Porsche GT3 RS 4.0

But Porsche has now announced that four-wheel-drive versions of the GTS - which mixed a rear-drive layout with the Carrera 4’s wider track and a performance pack - will go on sale in the summer.

The C4 GTS gets the same 402bhp, 3.8-litre flat six engine as the regular GTS. The unit, a development of the 3.8 from the regular Carrera S, has a similar torque figure to that powerplant - 309lb ft - but it’s available over a wider spread of revs. Porsche claims that 236lb ft is available at just 1500rpm.

The four-wheel-drive version of the car gets Porsche’s Traction Management system, and a limited-slip rear differential as standard.

With the standard-fit six-speed manual transmission, the C4 GTS can hit 62mph in 4.6sec (cabrio in 4.8sec); the optional PDK dual-clutch gearbox slices 0.2sec from those times. Porsche has not revealed any top speed figures, however sources say that the manual coupe version will be good for 187mph.

Despite the increase in engine performance, the GTS matches the regular C4S’s fuel economy figures (26.9mpg for the coupe) and CO2 emissions (247g/km).

Visual embellishments are kept to a minimum; there are decals on the doors and boot, and a reflective stripe between the tail-lights, a Porsche ‘identifier’ for four-wheel drive.

The cars ago on sale in July. They’ll cost £83,145 (coupe) and £90,024 (cabriolet), a hike of just under £5k over the two-wheel-drive GTS models.

John McIlroy

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