From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.
Lap Time: 2:45.8
Class: LL4 | Base: $204,206 | As Tested: $222,606
Power and Weight: 532 hp • 3588 lb • 6.7 lb/hp
Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R
F: 245/35ZR-20 (95Y) NA2
R: 315/30ZR-21 (105Y) NA2
When you sell something like 20 variants of the 911 nameplate, you must master the art of differentiating them. What’s one surefire way to distinguish these pinnacle sports cars? Engines. In the case of the 911 GTS, it’s the very new 532-hp hybrid powertrain.
The GTS is the first electrified 911 we’ve lapped at VIR. A turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six works with an electric motor in the turbo and another in the dual-clutch gearbox. On the Front Straight, the GTS peaks at 159.7 mph—3.7 mph faster than this year’s GT3 and swifter than 19 of the other 911s we’ve lapped. Only three have gone faster: two Turbo Ss and the 2018 GT2 RS.
Accessing maximum thrust requires some effort. Full power from the electric motor is only available in brief periods and only when the driver pushes the Sport Response button on the steering wheel. Ideally, you tap it before a corner or near the apex to summon all the horses for the next straight. We’d prefer a button that requires less focus, since we’re pressing it seven times per lap. Despite putting the small lithium-ion battery through the ultimate stress test, it never overheated or cut power, and it used only an indicated 25 percent of its capacity.
This GTS is easy to acclimate to, as most Porsches are. The fuzz-covered steering wheel and optional carbon-fiber buckets provide a close connection between human and 911. The steering is not quite as sharp as the GT3’s but is still among the best in the business, reporting high-fidelity feedback at all times. When the rear end steps out of line midcorner, it practically gathers itself up. Sometimes this bit of rotation works to your advantage: Lift, rotate, point, accelerate, brake. Repeat.
In Turn 1, the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R tires stick at 1.08 g’s, trailing this year’s GT3 on dealer-installed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R rubber by just 0.03 g. So, why no Michelins on the GTS? Officially, Porsche doesn’t homologate them for the GTS. Unofficially, they will fit, and they might even help the GTS eclipse the GT3’s lap time.
Back to Lightning Lap 2026
David Beard studies and reviews automotive related things and pushes fossil-fuel and electric-powered stuff to their limits. His passion for the Ford Pinto began at his conception, which took place in a Pinto.