Nobody could accuse Porsche of not offering its 911 Carrera buyers choice. There’s a 911 for everyone: a coupé, cabriolet, a Targa if you’re conflicted, rear- and four-wheel drive, manual or PDK automatic gearboxes and some specials like the track refugee GT3 and the mighty 911 Turbo. Adding to that confusion is the new GTS, a 911 that Porsche describes as the bridge between its regular Carrera S models and its more focused GT3. Picking holes, the GTS could be described as something of a specification special, Porsche cherry-picking the best options and adding them to plug that gap in its range. Thing is, it has selected well, the GTS’s specification making for one very appealing Carrera indeed.

There’s the Powerkit for starters, upping the GTS’s output to 430hp from the standard 400hp. That, in rear-wheel drive manual guise, allows the GTS coupé to reach 62mph from rest in 4.4 seconds – and that time drops if you opt for four-wheel drive and the two-pedal PDK twin-clutch automatic option. Yes, Porsche offers the GTS in various permeations, two- and four-wheel drive, coupé and cabriolet and manual or auto. Speak to insiders though and they’ll admit that the GTS is at its very best, most authentic form in its base, two-wheel drive, manual coupé guise.

They’re right too. The GTS changes not only add some unique styling tweaks – like revised front bumpers and the wide-hipped rear usually reserved for Carrera 4 models – but some suspension changes too. The wider rear track and single hub lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels (half an inch wider front and rear) improve grip, traction and steering response, so Porsche’s minor revisions add up to a significantly greater whole. The ride suffers marginally as a result of the changes, but it’s worth the small compromise for the greater agility. Add an improved manual shift, some additional GTS specific interior revisions and Porsche’s specification special makes all the other Carreras look superfluous.

GTS badge makes picking your next 911 easy. We’ll have a manual coupé in rear-wheel drive please. It’s rather brilliant.