Italian Tuner Pokes Fun At The New Porsche 911 In The Cheekiest Way Possible

For the first time, Porsche has electrified its flagship 911 model line with the new 911 Carrera GTS. While this move isn’t exactly a point of contention, especially with how the Stuttgart-based automaker employed electrification to improve the GTS’s performance, there are those who aren’t fond of the new design – particularly with the vertical front air intakes on the GTS. Garage Italia Customs, a customization studio in Milan, has decided to poke fun at this design execution in the cheekiest way possible.

“The new 911 992 has gills. In addition to the introduction of a hybrid system, the 911 Carrera GTS, unveiled a few months ago, sparked a lot of discussion for the inclusion of movable vertical blades in front air intakes. To us, they looked very much like the gills of a shark. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to create this JAWS-themed concept. What do you think?” the social media post’s caption said.

Good Luck Unseeing That

When the new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS came out, the “gills” on the lower bumper weren’t apparent – at least for us. But heaven forbid, we’re not sure if we’re going to unsee the Jaws connection now that someone has pointed it out. It’s right there, and it’s screaming, plus the cartoonish rendering above just made things worse.

Porsche has done this before, mind you. If you can remember the 996-generation 911, it’s often referred to as “the ugly one” because of its headlights shaped like a breakfast staple. Never mind if it’s the first water-cooled 911 sitting on an all-new chassis; never mind if it’s the first 911 to use the GT3 name – it will be remembered as the “fried egg” 911. Hopefully, this “shark gill” design won’t stick and make us forget about the GTS’s impressive performance chops.

Remember: This Is The Best 911 Carrera GTS Yet

Let’s take this time to remember that the 992.2 Carrera GTS is a huge step up from its predecessor. With the T-Hybrid system and the 3.6-liter turbocharged flat-six, the new GTS now produces 532 horsepower and 449 lb-ft of torque – up by 59 hp and 29 lb-ft. That output gap allows a quicker sprint to 60 mph, shaving three-tenths of a second and effectively putting the sweet-spot GTS within the 3-second club.

The improved performance also improved the 911 Carrera GTS’s lap time, even besting the 911 Turbo S on the Nürburgring. There’s more to love about the new 911 GTS, but based on these merits, I don’t mind the shark gills on the bumper. If anything, they just made the car more interesting – a light-hearted talking point, if you must.

Source: Garage Italia Customs / Instagram