With the last 911 GT2 having been introduced in 2010 -- in RS trim and based on the previous 997 generation of the 911->ke282 -- it seems that Porsche->ke282 doesn't plan on reviving the model anytime soon. At least this is what Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche's R&D chief, seemed to suggest at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The main reason for a lack of a 991 GT2 would be that the new 911 GT3 RS is in a similar ballpark, performance-wise.
As far as rumors of expanding the GT name across other models, Car and Driver recently talked to Andreas Preuninger, who is in charge of the GT division, at the Cayman GT4 international press launch. Preuninger sounded firm when saying that we may never see a Cayenne->ke212 or Panamera->ke1840 GT version. "I cannot imagine it," he said. "We have so many ideas for projects and lots of ideas to make even more GT sports cars.->ke506 I think a GT car should have motorsport siblings. And as long as we don’t do any motorsport activity with the Cayenne I can’t see any credible reason why it should be made into a GT car. Look at the Cayenne GTS - that’s GT enough."
With the Cayman GT4, 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS keeping the GT division's standards as high as they come, it will be interesting to see what new models Preuninger is referring to. My guess would be an ultra-light Boxster->ke570 Spyder.
Continue reading to learn more about Porsche's future GT plans.
Why it matters
The Cayman GT4's manual transmission is the perfect reason why Andreas Preuninger is the best man to run the GT department, as the sports car is said to have been developed from the ground up to be as analog as possible. If models like that and the recently unveiled 911 GT3 are the only types of Porsche GT cars we can expect in the upcoming years, the future sounds bright. Even if they are not the highest-selling cars out there – with exclusivity being actually part of the game – the world still needs fast and light Porsches that become one with the driver on the twisties.
On the other hand, not many people in the late 1990s foresaw that in less than a decade Porsche would have two SUVs – with some models powered by diesel engines – and a sedan in its lineup. In other words, anything is possible in the long run, but an SUV would taint the GT division's reputation, in my opinion.