Porsche Says Less is More and Gives Us the 911 Carrera T

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October 23, 2017

The Porsche 911 Carrera, by itself, is already a competent machine. Yet fans who don’t find the cult status and driving pleasure afforded by this model enough might be interested in a new, lighter, and as Porsche puts it, more puristic version. Enter the Porsche 911 Carrera T.

The T stands for Touring and takes its cue from the 911 T of 1968. In this modern-day iteration, it means less weight to give even greater performance. Less weight comes in the form of lightweight rear and rear side window glass, the omission of the rear seat and the Porsche Communications Management infotainment system, as well as the use of less sound insulation and opening door loops. All this back-to-basics engineering results in a feather-light 1,425kg—around 20kg lighter than a standard 911 Carrera.

Yet the 911 Carrera T isn’t all bare bones. On the contrary, a shortened shifter with red shift pattern, a 20mm lower PASM sport suspension, and the Sport Chrono package all come standard. The seats are made of cool and grippy Sport Tex material that also saves weight.

And while weight savings is the name of the game, some creature comforts have not been removed to give the two-seat cabin an air of sophistication. The driver gets an eight-way power-adjustable seat with Sport-Tex fabric center. Buyers can also opt for sport bucket seats, as well as the GT sports steering wheel with mode selector switch. The black interior is broken up by contrast accents in either Racing Yellow, Guards Red, or GT Silver.

All this pays off as the 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine that still puts out 370hp and 450Nm can  drive the car from rest to 100kph in 4.5 seconds (faster by a second over the standard Carrera),  and hit 200kph from standstill in 15.1 ticks. While a 6-speed manual is standard, an optional PDK gearbox allows the T model to do the same runs in 4.2 ticks and 14.5 seconds, respectively. Top speed for either model is at 290kph.

Besides the quicker straight line speed, the new 911 Carrera T also gets more grippy in corners. This is courtesy of a shorter rear axle ratio and mechanical differential that help it power its way out and even attack those curves quicker. Of course, the reduced weight helps a lot.

You can tell the Carrera T apart from the regular Carrera with its front lip spoiler, Sport Design mirrors, and the 911 Carrera T logo at the rear—all in Agate Grey. There are also 911 Carrera T badges at the side that complement the 20-inch Titan Grey Carrera S alloy wheels.  The look is finished off by slats in the rear lid grille and a centrally-mounted exhaust in black.

The Porsche 911 Carrera T can be ordered in either Lava Orange , Guards Red, Black, White, Racing Yellow, Miami Blue, Carrera White, Jet Black, or GT Silver. Deliveries begin in January of 2018.

About the Author

Mr. Gerard Jude Castillo
Gerard has been a self-confessed car nut ever since he was a little boy. As a grown-up, he indulges in his passion by collecting toy cars (which he started since childhood) and reading up on the latest cars out there.  As Associate Editor, he will ensure that you get your fill of the latest cars in the market, as well as a load of automotive features.