Porsche stumbled on a lode after the launch of the 911 R. Apparently there is a market for enthusiasts looking for a 911 that doesn't have to be as fast on the Nordschleife, or better equipped than the house we live in.
The 911 R sold out so quickly that it immediately raised its value… used! The success of the R, like the Cayman GT4 a year earlier, was an opportunity that had to be exploited. In the 911 GT3 update we first saw the return of the manual gearbox and received, more recently, the Touring Package which reduced the aerodynamic paraphernalia.
Will the simplest and purist formula work further down the hierarchy? That's what we'll know shortly, as Porsche has just unveiled the 911 T, a lighter version, stripped down and focused on driving, deriving from the 911 Carrera, the most affordable of the 911.
BIG SPORTS — Dominant in a hunting ground where rivals can hardly be found, the Porsche 911 is king not only among the biggest sports cars, but also among the entire sports car class, selling 50% more than the Mazda MX-5 or Audi TT, in the respective segments. With a total of 12 734 units already delivered, it doesn't matter to him that, in the remaining places on the podium, there are names like the Mercedes-AMG GT or the Ferrari 488...
more bare interior
The Porsche 911 T shares with the Carrera the same 3.0-litre turbo flat six, with 370 hp and should be the only element in common between the two. From this point on, the Touring 911 T, like the 1968 original, goes its own way, with less weight and shorter ratios, looking to maximize the driving experience and human-machine connection.
The focus on essentials led to the loss of the rear seats and the PCM, the German brand's infotainment system. Note the huge void inside left by its absence. However, Porsche can replace these equipment at the customer's request, free — by itself, news worth sharing…
The rear window and rear side windows are lighter, the amount of sound insulating material has been reduced and the door handles are leather straps. Also noteworthy is the GT steering wheel.
On the outside, it stands out for its spoiler and mirrors in Agate gray, the 20-inch wheels in Titanium Gray and the central exhaust in black.
unique equipment
In the end, the 911 T loses 20 kg of weight compared to the Carrera. It doesn't seem like much, but some of the weight removed was eventually replaced with the addition of unique equipment to the 911 T and not available on the Carrera.
Among them is the PASM — the brand's piloted suspension, which reduces ground height by 20 mm — the Sport Chrono Package with optimized weight and the height-reduced gearbox knob. As an option, it can also be equipped with a directional rear axle. As is also an option for sports bacquets, unavailable on the Carrera, to the detriment of standard electric seats — shouldn't they be manual adjustment, to save weight?
The manual gearbox is the well-known seven-speed — PDK as an option — but it has a shorter final ratio and comes with a self-locking differential.
The result is a power-to-weight ratio of 3.85 kg/hp, better than the Carrera, as are the performances, albeit by a tiny margin. Less 0.1 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, getting to 4.5. The top speed is 293 km/h, 2 km/h less than the Carrera.
The new Porsche 911 T can now be ordered in Portugal and will start shipping early next year. The price starts at 135 961 euros.
