2018 Porsche 911 GTS Prototype Hits Nurburgring, Six-Speed Manual Rumors Grow

While the GT2 will only be available to a handful of customers on Zuffenhausen's VIP list and the GT3 will be expensive enough to make many aficionados cry, the 911 GTS will be slightly easier to get a hold of.

Nevertheless, the GTS is rumored to share one key tech bit with the GT3, namely the six-speed manual. So far, we've only been able to spy the the facelifted GT3 with a stick shift, but the rumor mill talks about the GTS also inheriting the 911 R's clutch setup.

And with the GTS badge covering all three body styles of the rear-engined machine (the Coupe, the Cabriolet and the Targa), if the rumors turn out to be true, we'll end up with tons of possibilities to move away from the not-so-sporty seven-speed manual of the Carrera models.

Regardless, don't expect the GTS to stick to natural aspiration like the GT3. Instead, the three-letter Neunelfer derivative will follow the twin-turbo 3.0-liter setup introduced on "mainstream" 911 models, albeit with a slight output bump over the 420 hp Carrera S.

Judging by the extra wheel arch material the prototype we have here shows and all the tire screaming, it looks like the German engineers are completing wheel tolerance testing. Even so, the GTS-specific exhaust tune means the flat-six screams at the top of its lungs cylinders.

And speaking of the Green Hell, the Carrera S, when fitted with the optional four-wheel-steer system, can already deliver supercar performance (think 7:30). Thus, we can't wait to see what the GTS can do when given the opportunity to deliver a blitz Nordschleife lap once the toy is released next year.