If you asked me to sit down and write a list of features that would make up the specification of my ideal Porsche 911, chances are it would look a lot like the 911 Carrera T.
Rear wheel drive? Check. Manual transmission? Check. Cool retro stickers? Check. Wooden gear knob? Oh hell yes!
The beauty of the Carrera T is the fact it is based on a no-frills entry level Carrera 2 - there’s no AWD, excessive power or extraneous wings here, just pure 911. Then on top of that it gets unnecessary weight trimmed out of it, and the addition of sports suspension and a mechanical limited slip differential
And when you add in a manual transmission and, of course, that utterly fantastic gear knob, and you get, I dunno, even more purity?
It’s certainly more of a traditional experience, with Porsche having abandoned its silly move into a seven-speed manual shifter in favour of a six-speeder for the Carrera T. It seems there is certainly a thing as “too many gears”. Either way, the Carrera T’s gear count is just right, as is its superb set of ratios, also happily avoiding that big jump between 5th and 6th that was the bane of the otherwise sublime Cayman GT4.
No, everything is judged to perfection here, and tooling happily along at urban speeds is every bit as pleasurable as fanging it down a twisty road. Every snap of the shifter is a tactile delight that brings a fresh delightful noise from the flat six-cylinder engine, be it a confidently subdued burble or a hair-raising hard-edged howl.
While your 911 Turbo boasts brutal power and AWD confidence, and the GT3 a hard racing edge, the basic Carrera's simple honesty is what draws me to it over those cars, particularly when it comes to handling and the driving experience as a whole.
That purity thing rears its head again here, with the sublime balance of the RWD Carrera being arguably the star of the show, although the superb engine’s “just right” amount of power is equally endearing, effortlessly providing thrills, but not at the cost of overwhelming that purity.
The nose tracks beautifully through the corner, regardless of what attitude you dial into the rear via the throttle, and belting out the other side, grabbing gears with that delightfully tactile wooden shift knob never gets old.
Of course, “purity” is a relative term with modern 911s, given that it is a considerably larger car than it once was, and that size - particularly its length - is noticeable, but it’s never intrusive, and the nose is so superbly responsive and accurate that you really don’t care about much else anyway.
The Carrera T dives eagerly into corners, exhaust bellowing on each downshift (whether it be an expert heel-and-toe blip or the hilariously fun rev matching system that can do it for you) and a subtle volley of crackles and pops announcing your approach to the apex.
The nose tracks beautifully through the corner, regardless of what attitude you dial into the rear via the throttle, and belting out the other side, grabbing gears with that delightfully tactile wooden shift knob never gets old.
Downsides are few and far between out on a winding back road, with the heavy spring-loading across the gate of the manual shifter - that is an occasional irritation at low speeds - becoming perfectly judged for more aggressive high speed shifts. I’m perfectly happy to occasionally grab third instead of fifth at low speeds if it means everything feels so right here…
Even ride quality never falters in the face of superb handling characteristics, with a firmly controlled, but surprisingly supple ride being the hallmark, regardless of how you are driving the Carrera T.
There is something delightfully right about the way the Carrera T blends being a thoroughly modern car (yes, it has driver assists and, yes, they are excellent) with old-school delights.
One area that could have been a downside comes in the form of Porsche’s drive to reduce weight in the Carrera T, which has seen it use thinner glass and less sound deadening material in. While this does mean a noticeable increase in road noise, it also means that more of the engine’s glorious burble enters the cabin, which just enhances the Carrera T experience.
While I am generally dismissive of people who complain about touchscreens and other modern conveniences in cars, this is one area I would genuinely loved to have seen Porsche go the purity route as well - a set of delightfully retro analogue gauges would have been the absolute icing on the cake inside the Carrera T, but the sheer complexity and expense of doing that would have made that a non-starter. But an analogue-inspired skin for the infotainment system though? Now that would have been a nice touch.
But as it stands, it is straight-ahead modern 911 on the inside, which is by no means a bad thing
The Carrera T gets the latest incarnation of Porsche’s infotainment system, which is a vastly improved thing, with a sensible layout and a slick, responsive touchscreen.
The cloth seats are fantastically comfortable and supportive (and also feature a subtly retro tartan pattern), and build quality is, of course, faultless throughout.
What don’t we like about the Porsche 911 Carrera T? Honestly? Not much at all. Probably the fact I can't afford one is the worst thing about it...
So, is the Carrera T my perfect 911? Without a doubt, it absolutely is. While I am an unashamed fan of new technology in cars (and, yes, that includes driver aids and powertrains), there is something delightfully right about the way the Carrera T blends being a thoroughly modern car (yes, it has driver assists and, yes, they are excellent) with old-school delights.
How much is the Porsche 911 Carrera T?
The Carrera T costs a $312,900, which is a not inconsiderable sum of money. To put it into perspective, a standard 911 Carrera costs $293,900,m while a more powerful Carrera S is $330,900.
While, yes, you are essentially paying more for less, the things that there are less of are worth paying to get rid of: weight, complexity and an automatic transmission. And if you prefer the wind in your hair, you pay even more to get even less with the Carrera T Cabriolet for $328,900. Our test car also featured the $3,490 Carrera T exterior package that brought the Gentian Blue stickers and wheels, which you need to have.
What are the key statistics for the Porsche 911 Carrera T?
The Carrera T is based on the Porsche's entry into the 911 line up - the RWD 911 Carrera - and packs the same 290kW/450Nm horizontally opposed six-cylinder turbo petrol engine powertrain, but paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
Is the Porsche 911 Carrera T efficient?
Porsche claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 11.5l/100km for the Carrera T, which is surprisingly achievable if you drive it normally. But you won't. You will be shifting gears unnecessarily just because it is so much fun and sounds so good.
Is the Porsche Carrera T good to drive?
I'm sorry, did you not read everything above? It's a manual RWD 911, of course it is utterly brilliant to drive.
Is the Porsche 911 Carrera T practical?
As far as a 911 can be practical, the Carrera T doesn't change that formula. The rear seats are snug, but usable and the Carrera T is every bit as good as a daily driver as any other 911. Ours was fitted with the hydraulic front end that raises the nose for speed bumps and the like, but it really doesn't need it.
What do we like about the Porsche 911 Carrera T?
The sheer purity of the driving experience is magical. The Carrera T has exactly the amount of power that it needs going through the rear wheels via a manual transmission. It doesn't get much more pure than that these days. yes, it has all the modern driver assists, but they largely just lurk in the background and mainly stay out of your way.
What don’t we like about the Porsche 911 Carrera T?
Honestly? Not much at all. Probably the fact I can't afford one is the worst thing about it...
What kind of person would the Porsche 911 Carrera T suit?
Well, we come back to that purity thing I'v been banging on about again - the Carrera T is perfect for anyone who wants a straight-forward pure sports car that offers a sublime driving experience without excessive power or big wings, and the sheer pleasure of a good manual transmission. Sort of a bigger, high-end Mazda MX-5 really.
