Call it a whirlwind romance. Call it love at first sight. Call it foolishness, naivety, or disaster in the making. It really doesn't matter because love can come in all shapes and forms. As the actress Joan Crawford aptly describes: "Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell." As you probably would have already guessed, the subject of this writer's affections is a special range of Porsche models, the Grand Turismo Sport, or GTS, for short.

While the GTS range of offerings isn't exactly the newest trim of cars from the German sports carmaker, it's one that has stood out exceptionally for its sensationally sporty appearance, dynamic capabilities and everyday driveability - something Porsche describes as appealing to the senses in terms of performance, design and emotion.

This newfound affection stems from an eye-opening road trip in Malaga, in the South of Spain. There, I had the pleasure to be acquainted with the entire range of Porsche GTS models, which included the newest GTS model on offer, the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS.

So what makes the GTS models special? For this writer, there are two reasons: Performance and Emotion.

Emotional appeal

It's hard to differentiate or define where performance ends and emotion begins because both are intrinsically linked to one another, like how a marriage binds two inseparable souls into one. And this holds true for the nine GTS versions uniquely positioned right between the S and Turbo S models in Porsche's 911 Carrera, Cayman, Boxster, Cayenne and Panamera model range.

Driving out in a Carmine Red drop-top rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera GTS as we made our way along the Spanish mountainside on the route from Torremolinos to Ronda where the Ascari circuit was located, I couldn't help but feel my heart stir as I caught glimpses of the other GTS cars, among them the Panamera, Cayenne, Cayman and other 911 variants, ahead and behind us. Emotions here getting roused by beautiful examples of design.

Performance defined

At the same time, the experience of piloting the car through postcard worthy scenery felt a little bit like being in driving heaven.

Admittedly, negotiating narrow mountain passes a thousand feet (or two) above sea level with sharp-drops greeting you at every corner can be a harrowing experience. But thanks to steady driving dynamics courtesy of Porsche's Dynamic Chassis Control, and excellent suspension set that that was firm yet supple, the car was amazingly easy to get used to, which certainly allowed me to spend less time knowing the car, and more time taking in the deep growling exhaust note and lapping up the sensation of speed proffered by the 3.8-litre naturally aspirated engine's 430bhp (30 horses more than the standard Carrera S).

In some way, this is the car's performance speaking for itself, because in no time at all, I was able to appreciate both the views and the sporty trim on the interior, where a clean alcantara-lined steering wheel devoid of any mounted controls and other bits and pieces of carbon fibre trim underscored the sports car pedigree in a GTS.

Up to this point, the 911 GTS has proven itself to be a capable tourer, but on the race track, the car really comes into its element. On the fabled Ascari circuit, known for its technical corners (many of them are blind corners or at elevation), the 911 GTS proved to be a wonderful machine, with the power, pace and sharpness to excel. Driving on a racetrack will always be an emotional experience and as I sampled the other GTS models, namely the Boxster and Cayman, the cars were all stellar performers. Hardcore enough to ace laps on the track, while being so wondrously setup to afford the driver the confidence to push the limits of both man and machine, while being comfortable enough to allow said driver to just keep on going and going and enjoying every minute of the drive.

On the long way home

As the day wound down and we swapped cars for the long drive back, this time in a 911 Targa 4 GTS, the essence of what a GTS car meant was gradually getting distilled.

A GTS is gorgeous to look at. It's pure pleasure on track, exquisite on the country road, and yet calm in congested city traffic. And through it all, it was a pleasurable experience throughout, with no bumps or spine jarring moment as it carved through city and cross country, on roads well-paved, pocked marked and even on speed bumps.

Granted, there are other Porsche variants in the respective model lineup that would check off the same boxes, and perhaps, even excel at some of the mentioned characteristics. But it struck me as I approached my hotel driveway that a GTS Porsche is that sweet spot where everything you want in a car comes together harmoniously, just like how you'd marry that one person you'd want to spend your life with. Except that while relationships can get stormy at times, the ride in a GTS will always be smooth.