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2015 Porsche 911 GTS widens your rear-engined choices

"Porsche needs to offer more versions of the 911" is not a phrase you'll hear uttered often. Not with 15 versions already in the catalog. But with the opening of this year's LA Auto Show, Porsche has introduced four more to bring the total up to nineteen variants. And more are no doubt on the way. What you're looking at is the new Porsche 911 GTS, which has grown from one model in the previous generation to four. Buyers will be able to choose between rear- or all-wheel drive and between coupe and cabriolet body-styles, but either way they'll be looking at a 3.8-liter flat six with 430 horsepower. That slots it in between the base Carrera and the GT3, but unlike the hardcore latter, it can be had with choice of manual or dual-clutch transmission – bringing the available configurations of 911 GTS up to eight. Spec the DCT and you'll be reaching 60 in as little as 3.8 seconds, but the pleasure won't come cheap: prices range from $114,200 for the rear-drive coupe to $132,800 for the all-wheel-drive cabrio, plus another $995 for delivery. But for that much scratch you also get the Powerkit, Sport Chrono package, wider track, lower suspension, Xenon headlamps, Alcantara trim, 20-inch alloys and more all thrown in as standard.

Porsche Cayman GT4 looks sexy, rapid in the nude

Porsche doesn't officially have a name for its more hardcore version of the Cayman, yet. The speculation is that the coupe is called the GT4 as a little brother to the 911 GT3. However, the German sports car maker apparently is not interested in keeping the model's looks much of a secret because these latest shots show it without a hint of camouflage to speak of. The GT4 reportedly takes the GT3's ethos of more power, less weight and stickier-than-glue handling and brings it all to the Cayman. As these photos show, there's a much lower air dam up front with a cooling vent at the tip of the hood. Larger wheels are another obvious addition and are likely shod with some very sticky rubber. At the back, there's a double spoiler combining a wing and a ducktail. The power and gearbox for the GT4 remains a mystery, though. The rumor is that it uses a tuned version of the 3.4-liter flat-six in the Cayman S and GTS to make between 370 and 400 horsepower. A similar overhaul of the Boxster might be on the way, as well. A version of the convertible wearing some of the Cayman GT4's goodies was recently spotted testing. That one even had a manual transmission to make the prospects behind the wheel even more exciting.

Porsche ready to pick itself up after Le Mans failure

It's safe to say that things for Porsche didn't go quite as well at Le Mans this year as it might have hoped. After a sixteen-year gap, the winningest manufacturer in endurance racing history returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe this year hoping maybe not for outright victory in its first time back, but definitely a strong finish on which it could build on for next year. All the while it undoubtedly hoped its 911s would hold their own in the GT classes.
Unfortunately for Porsche, neither happened. After racing around the clock, and despite actually leading the festivities for some time, the best its 919 Hybrid could manage was an eleventh-place finish, lagging lamentably behind not only the other LMP1s (like the race-winning Audi) but also a handful of LMP2s. Meanwhile the LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am titles went to the factory-backed teams of its arch-rivals Ferrari and Aston Martin, respectively.
Not a stellar result, in other words, but Porsche is taking it all in stride - accepting that it has a ways to go while congratulating its vanquishing rivals in the video below. It's good sportsmanship if we've ever seen it. Next year's race starts now.