TechArt has worked closely with Porsche suspension partner Bilstein to perfect the competition feel of the dampers and springs as they interface with the PASM. The springs of this so-called VarioPlus Clubsport coilover setup especially are more rigid in both the normal and sport settings and come shorter, the car resting lower by what seems an inch. This road-hugging stance is aided and abetted by the wider tracks and stiffer footprints allowed by 20-inch TechArt Formula 1 GTS forged wheels with 1.9-inch spacers (8.5x20 front, 12x20 rear) and specially formulated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Plus tires (245/40ZR20 90Y Extra Load front, 315/25ZR20 97Y Extra Load rear). The handling and response are remarkable; it's fun to drift a Turbo and not to feel all that damned understeer. The famed Porsche 2.6 turns lock-to-lock remain and TechArt steering wheel (using the Porsche inner skeleton and then creating the best steerer in the business-which, by the way, can be ordered in three thicknesses) fits perfectly, with good, grippy fat parts at the quarter-to-three position.
Another touch is Porsche's optional PCCB braking system (hmmm, another German fast-car builder saying publicly that it doesn't necessarily believe in ceramics for road use and then turning around and secretly putting them on every track-aimed car it makes). These are the crazy-expensive 15-inch front units from SGL with Brembo monobloc calipers and can suck the car through to China all day long with no fade. And never once do the discs squeal like teenage groupies at lower in-town speeds. Normally, TechArt installs its stupendous Sport Brake System Plus with drilled and vented 15.4-inch steel discs front with six pistons and 14.5-inch discs rear with four pistons.
Speed is one of the things TechArt is most famous for. Getting to 60 mph in the GTstreet Cabriolet is stated conservatively at 3.5 seconds with the T3 setup, though a 3.4 or less (even at this T2 treatment level) is not out of the question in the right hands. Real-world top speed through the reinforced sport clutch and short shifter (with 20 percent briefer throws) is right near 200 mph, the fully promised 214 mph coming only via modified fifth and sixth gears. TechArt is promising closer to 218 mph for the ideal GTstreet cabrio T3 with modified gearing. Just close the freakin' roof.
The supporting cast of power players includes a larger airbox for the fatter ram-air intakes in the base of the rear wing, high-performance manifolds all around, faster-acting intercoolers, larger oil coolers and a stainless steel four-tip TechArt exhaust system with an augmented bypass valve in PASM sport mode. The octave change is now even more pronounced at the plus/minus 800-rpm idle. While boiling up through the revs, the 200-cpi sport catalysts are felt doing their part as well. I particularly love the big-mouth carbon fiber nose intakes. They bring in a mass of more cooling air to wash over the bigger radiators and cool the brake assemblies. Airflow is also assisted by the exit vents at the back side of the wider front fenders-overall front width is wider by just 0.4 of an inch, but wider is wider. The same significant flow-through upgrades are applied to the rear fenders, too, with two gaping exits gouged into either side of the extended carbon fiber splitter, peeling heat from everything crammed in the back.
For all these open-GTstreet heroics, United States citizens must pay a minimum of $240,000 (versus the coupe at $220,000) and then adjust upward from the delectable TechArt option menu. The near-future GT2 GTstreet coupe will start at $250,000. If you have the cash, a love for Porsche 911s and a hankering to express these feelings fully, you can do no better.