@wheelsaustralia 51
Driver-focused Carrera is
FIRST
OVERSEAS
DRIVE
deadening help offset
of extras like 20-inch
a limited-slip differen
adaptive dampers. Th
option of paying $549
rear-steering axle, som
can’t be optioned onto
Carrera. The standard-fit PASM
Sport Chassis lowers the ride
height by 20mm, hunkering the
cardownontothe20-inchTitan
Grey wheels. There’s also a deeper
frontsplitter,seatstrimmedin
Sport-Tex material with leather
bolsters and Carrera T legends on
the dials, kick plates, door decals
and engine cover. Just about the
onlybumnoteisthepairoffabric
door pulls protruding from the
fully stitched leather-trimmed
door cards. Porsche also sells
the car with the rear seats and
infotainment as no-cost options.
You’ll almost certainly want at
leastthelatterputbackin.
Available with either the so-so
seven-speed manual or slick PDK,
the Carrera T makes the mostturbocharged engine even when
you’re not pulverising the redline.
Thefour-wheelsteeringalso
addsawelcomemeasureofboth
low-speedagilityandhigh-speed
stability. Maybe because of its
shorter gearing, fuel economy is
worsethanabaseCarrera,though.
A PDK-equipped Carrera will see
7.4L/100km whereas an equivalent
CarreraTwilldrink8.5L/100km:
a15percenthitinefficiencyfor
asupposedlylightercarwiththe
same power.
Other than that, the 911 Carrera
T barely puts a foot wrong. It’s the
no-nonsense driver’s 911 Carrera
we’vebeenwaitingforeversince
the 991-generation car debuted in- Done to a T, you could say.
ANDY ENRIGHT
PLUS &
MINUSGrip; handling with 4WS and diff; stance and exterior cosmetics
oftherearseatsthathas
the biggest effect on the
Carrera T’s interior acoustics.
This introduces a little
more mechanical character
into the soundtrack, the
turbocharger laying a subtle
backing track of zizzes and
wheezes at part throttle.
There’s also a welcome
propagation of the breathy
treble notes of old 911s that
we thought the latest blown
991s had lost for good.THE Porsche 911 Carrera T
seems to have some
reviewers confused. So, by
way of remedial summary,
here’s what it’s not. It’s not
a cut-price 911 GT3. Nor is it
a stripped-out hardcore factory
lightweight. It’s not a cynical
marketing exercise designed to
gull 911 buyers into nabbing a
premium-price options pack and
it isn’t a faithful recreation of the
original 911 T from 1968.
With no more power or
torque than a regular Carrera
and a weight saving of only five
kilograms, the Carrera T doesn’t
appear much of a bargain upon
first inspection. Porsche charges
an extra $17,500 for the privilege
but it’s well worth the premium.
Imagine Porsche’s best chassis
dynamics guys sitting around a
table and being asked to develop
the ultimate Porsche Carrera for
around $240K. The Carrera T is
that car. Its thinner side and rear
glass and reduction in soundModel
Engine
Max power
Max torque
Transmission
Weight
0-100km/h
Economy
Price
On salePorsche 911 Carrera T
2 981cc flat 6, dohc, 24v, twin-turbo
272kW @ 6500rpm
450Nm @ 1700-5000rpm
7-speed PDK
1445kg
4.2sec
8.5L/100km
$245,070
NowFuel thirst; no more power than base Carrera; cheesy door pulls
w rh h wi h
the additio
wh l
ntial and
here’s also the
0 toget the
mething that
o the baseofthediffandlowercentreo
r it t f l d lo it 45 0N
oncornerexits.There’salevel
ofben malleabilit othecar
that makesitagenuinely wieldy
prospect on Australian roads
and et someth from theLoud eddle
The thinner Gorilla glass and
sound insulation stri ut
doesn’ ake th
nificantl ouder than
the ba
as anything it’s the removal
f h h h