Porsche affixes quite a few surnames to its sports cars, but it's easy to simply take them at face value. Every name has a story, and the simple "GTS" badge is no different.
The sports car brand tackled where the "GTS" name comes from in a new video series answering common questions about Porsche cars, and it's a pretty simple story. In the 1950s and 1960s, Gran Turismo (gran turismo translates to "grand touring" from Italian) races were very popular with grand touring cars, which featured 2+2 seating configurations.
In an effort to capture that spirit, Porsche first placed the "GT" badge on the 356 Carerra GT in 1955, and then the "GTS" badge on the 904 Carrera GTS. The GTS badge made its way to the first road car with the 928 GTS in the 1990s.
The video doesn't actually explain what the "S" stands for in "GTS," but from what we can dig up, it stands for "Sport."
Similar to the GTS badge, Porsche also took the "Carrera" name from motorsport, too. In the 1950s, Mexico began La Carrera Panamericana to celebrate the opening of the Pan-American Highway. However, as driver and spectator death tolls climbed, Mexico ceased hosting the 2,000-mile-long road race. So the story goes, Porsche felt the race earned enough recognition to brand its cars with the "Carrera" badge, which it still uses to this day.