MotorMouths

While the 911 Speedster is rare, fast and expensive, it’s not the rarest, fastest or most expensive 911. This begs the question, “Is this car significant?” The reality is, it’s not. It’s just another pseudo-special 911 variant that Porsche is using to help boost revenue.

For $204K, you might expect the 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster to come with a race-tuned motor, track-optimized chassis or a spare Porsche Cayenne for bad weather. But, no — the Speedster is very much as it appears to be. That is, a 911 Carrera S Cabriolet with a bit more attitude and a lot less roof.

Porschephiles may have been wondering at what point their beloved 911 ceases to be a 911 and becomes just a good sports car with an engine in the trunk. That day may have arrived.

If you bought this GTS over a similarly equipped 2011 Carrera S, you’d save $5230.  And you’d get the wider hips, nifty wheels, sport exhaust, and the Alcantara for  free. It represents the best rebate you’ll ever get on a Carrera.

That the GTS is so good isn’t at all surprising. It is just one more opportunity to appreciate how well the 911 has aged. Our only grievance with the GTS is the obnoxious cacophony of road and engine noise that reverberates inside the coupe at highway speeds.

The biggest change in the 2012 Porsche 911 from its predecessor is efficiency and growth. In addition to being larger, it also grows in terms of power. So what kind of driving experience do all these changes add up to? An enjoyable but evolved one.

It’s simply smoother, easier, and less fussy to drive very quickly. In short, all the 911’s rough edges have been buffed clean off.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is priced pretty similar to a 911 GT3, which arguably provides more cachet and superior track-day handling. But a GTS is a friendlier prospect for daily driving but also makes accessible a dimension of speed that only GT3 adepts would dare attempt.

The finale for the current-generation 911, the GTS blazes into the Porsche retail experience in the middle of this winter. The GTS buffs the 911’s perma-luster, with a corresponding jump in sticker price.

In quantifiable terms, the 2012 model is leaps and bounds better than any previous 911. It sounds even better, it rides even better, it feels even better, it’s even more comfortable, better equipped, and it’s far better looking. It is a better car, but it’s not a better 911.

The Porsche 911 hasn’t lost its soul. I was among the first to actually drive the new generation Carrera S and — collective exhale — it is still a great car.

The new 911 Carrera S, when driven as we like it driven, is all 911 all the time. It’s just the new upgraded interior, mention of electro- anything in the steering, and visibly longer wheelbase that can create fear in us or in you prior to doing the drive.