I have boldy stated and will continue to proclaim that the Porsche 911 really is the every man in the car world. There is a 911 for everyone and to suit different styling and driving preferences. Even in terms of pricing there seems to be a 911 to suit each owner, provided you fall under the category of being moderately to extremely wealthy. For the rest of us who may or may not get an opportunity to sample Stuttgart’s finest our appreciation for the 911 is still justified because of its iconic status among enthusiasts.
Porsche has launched yet another 911 variant to complement its already all encompassing sports car portfolio: The 911 Carrera T. In what seems to be an inspired move Porsche is going back to its purist roots with the introduction of this ‘bare bones’ 911. Similar in philosophy to the GT3 Touring, the Carrera T has ditched some of its rather luxurious additions such as the PDK gear box and gone back to a manual gear box. In a world where manual gear boxes will soon be relegated to museum pieces Porsche seems to be making a very strong argument for their continued development.
PDK gearboxes will always be faster and better suited to high power applications such as the 911 Turbo. However, for lower powered engine variants the manual gear box seems to be the weapon of choice for seasoned drivers. The manual gear box in question here features shortened gear ratios and is mated to Porsche’s 3.0 litre twin turbo charged flat six. The engine here develops 272 kw of power and 450 Nm of torque. Porsche has also added a mechanical differential lock for good measure. All of this has endued the Carrera T with a sprint time of 4.5 seconds to 100 kph and 15.1 seconds to 200 kph from a stand still. Lending the engine its vocals is Porsche’s sports exhaust which is standard in the Carrera T.
To save on weight, the rear window and rear side windows have been made from lightweight glass compared to the standard Carrera. In typical Porsche fashion the interior door handles have also been replaced with straps. The rear seats have also been removed to save on weight and the infotainment unit can also be taken out optionally.
As with other Carrera models rear wheel steering can be optioned as well as the PDK gearbox.
The Porsche 911 Carrera T is available to order locally with the first customer cars being delivered in February next year. Prices start at R1,536,000.00.
