PHELPS, Michigan — Two years ago at M1 Concourse’s American Speed Festival, I took my 1964 Porsche 904 GTS on track. The OG.

The first GTS (aka, Gran Turismo Sport) performance trim made by the German automaker, the wee, 1,450-pound 904 was one of 108 street-legal models built in 1964-65 to homologate Porsche for international racing. With my head stuffed in the ceiling and my knees in the Spartan dash, I rowed the five-speed manual gearbox around M1 — the glorious, normally aspirated, 3.0-liter flat-6 engine wailing in my ears at 7,000 rpm. Before me, my father used the 904 GTS as a daily driver for four decades in West Virginia.

Sixty years later, the legendary GTS badge lives in the roomy, 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid tester in my driveway: an automatic, turbocharged, gas-electric hybrid with Android Auto, 11-inch infotainment screen, 18-way heated/cooled seats, and launch control.

Toto, we’re not in 1964 anymore.

In SPORT PLUS MODE, I pushed the brake pedal and accelerator pedals to the floor. The tachometer stabilized at 4,000 rpm. The instrument gauge flashed LAUNCH CONTROL SET. I released the brake and released the Kraken. BWAAAWRR!

The T-Hybrid shot past 60 mph like it has been launched from a cannon. It’s a Porsche worthy of the GTS badge. Solid as oak. Stunning performance. Flat-six engine note from the gods. 911 has been a sports-car icon since it was introduced in 1963 for eight model generations. It’s maintained its place with elite engineering, timeless design, incremental change, and obsessive dedication to its brand.

Like the resurrection of the GTS badge from the 904.

Representing extra performance paired with excellent trip qualities, GTS reappeared on Porsche production models like the front-engine 928 and Cayenne SUV models at the turn of the 21st century before becoming a fixture on the 911 in 2010.

The eighth-gen car (the so-called 992 series) has taken big, risky leaps at a time when technological advancements and regulatory hammers present historic challenges to the industry. My 911 992.2 (translation: the second evolution of the 992 generation) tester maintains GTS thrills by integrating new tech, resulting in a supercar that — while not the most spectacular firecracker in the market — sits at the sweet-spot of supercar speed, price, and ergonomic refinement.

The compromises? Weight gain, price gain, complexity, and more robotic performance.

911 T-Hybrid — short for Turbo Hybrid — redefines the popular conception of hybrid. For example, Porsche uses the electric motor wedged between the gearbox and engine for “torque fill.” Like the $109,795 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Porsche introduces electrification into its lineup a step above standard Carrera/Carrera S models, but below the track-focused GT3. Unlike E-Ray, which uses its front e-motor to create an all-wheel-drive, all-season daily driver, GTS is pure hellion.

“Oh, this is nice and stiff!” said my son as we carved corners on M-66. WAPPA! WAPPPA! went the auto downshifts as I quickly slowed into a left-hander courtesy of massive, 16.5-inch ceramic brakes.

Where the first, 1960’s sportscar Golden Age set the tone for brands from Porsche to Ford, our second Golden Era has to contend with the Fun Police. The 2019 model of the 992 generation (992.1) introduced turbochargers to augment performance while also reducing CO2 emissions.

My 992.2 tester adds an e-motor (wedged between the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox and engine) to increase power from 470 ponies to a stout 533 — while also meeting Europe’s draconian emissions regs. Porsche faces a watershed moment over the next decade as the European Union gradually bans internal combustion engine sales — a game-changer for the flat-6-powered 911.

Chevy and Ford have decided not to sell Corvettes and Mustangs in Europe because European regulations make it prohibitively expensive to offer V-8s. That’s not an option for Stuttgart-based Porsche, so it’s meeting the challenge with a turbocharged-electrified-flat-6.

If that sounds complicated, it is. And a concern for long-term durability compared to, say, the 904’s pure, normally-aspirated, 3.0-liter flat-6 screaming behind my ear at M1.

The 911 GTS’s hybrid works seamlessly. WHAP! The Porsche lights like a firecracker because the e-motor doubles as starter motor. There’s no turbo lag on acceleration thanks to electric torque fill. And that famed launch control? Car and Driver recorded a staggering 2.6-second 0-60 mph — a gain over 992.1’s 3.2 seconds.

In northern Michigan I gave friends launch control thrill rides. Who needs Cedar Point?

For all its tech savvy, 911's fundamentals — rear-wheel-drive, rear-engine, unibody constructions — are unchanged. It’s not as nimble as the lightweight, carbon-fiber-monocoque chassis McLaren 750S I tested this summer. At 3,590 pounds, the German’s girth is evident compared to the 3,200-pound Brit. In 2001, 911 weighed just 3,000 pounds, but years of tech and regulation have taken their toll. McLaren’s lightweight carbon-fiber solution means, ahem, a $450,000 sticker compared to my $182,895 GTS tester which in turn is nearly twice the price of the Corvette E-Ray.

Where the 911 GTS really impresses is its dexterity.

Porsche and good ergonomics are not words you would have seen in the same article a decade ago. This is a brand, after all, that denied customers a console cupholder until the 992 generation.

But ergonomics matter in a GTS that promises good track and trip manners. New-gen 992 comes with: 1) center console cup-holder, 2) (still problematic) glovebox passenger cupholder, 3) door pocket holders for bottles (like my favorite Snapple). Also fitting nicely was my 6-foot-5-inch noggin — an advance from my ol’ 904 shoebox.

The cockpit is also state-of-the-art with a similar digital tach and infotainment display to other Porsches. 911 purists will note — heresy! — that the traditional, five-gauge layout is gone, replaced with a more conventional three-gauge layout. The digital gauges are stuffed with good content — like tire temperature before engaging launch control.

The logical console is anchored by a compact “chicklet” shifter — and the steering wheel is an ergonomic gem. My hands never left the wheel. On Interstate 75 North I turned on Adaptive Cruise Control (lower left stalk) and adjusted radio volume with a roller on the wheel spoke. A rotary knob engaged SPORT PLUS mode before I ripped through the M-32 twisties.

This modernity is wrapped in timeless 911 design sitting on big, gummy, Goodyear summer tires. You’ll know 992.2 by its center-locking wheels and front shutters that open in SPORT PLUS mode to feed air to the hungry beast within.

Enjoy your sixties, GTS.

2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid

Vehicle type: Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-passenger sportscar

Price: $166,895, including $1,995 destination fee ($182,895 as tested)

Powerplant: 3.6-liter flat-6 cylinder mated to electric motor and 1.9 kWh battery

Power: 533 horsepower, 450 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 194 mph

Weight: 3,590 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 17 mpg city/24 highway/20 combined

Report card

Highs: Big ergonomic improvements; launch control all day long

Lows: Getting’ porky; increased drivetrain complexity

Overall: 4 stars

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