Porsche 911 Carrera T, never without its manual transmission!

Porsche seems determined to keep an atypical model in its 911 range with the T for “You shift gears with the lever!”

Henry Ford became immortalized for saying that everyone could have a Ford T in any color they wanted, as long as it was black. Porsche today echoes this witty remark from the early 20th century by offering everyone the 911 Carrera T with the gearbox they want, as long as it is a manual gearbox. And of course, as long as they are not afraid to write a few zeros on a check, which is in stark contrast to the philosophy of good old Mr. Ford.

The “T” stands for Touring and refers to the homologation of the 911 T as a touring car in 1968. Since 2017, the 911 Carrera T has made its return to the lineup, positioned between the Carrera and the Carrera S, with the mission to highlight the pleasure of driving. For this, there’s no need to chase a herd of horses because the purest path is that of lightness. Equipped with lightweight windows, reduced insulation, and integral bucket seats, the model weighs only 1,478 kg in its lightest configuration, which is 40 kg less than the current 911 Carrera. You might say that a 3% gain is not exceptional, and indeed it is a bit disappointing. But it allows, thanks to its 3.0-liter 6-cylinder twin-turbo Boxer engine with 394 hp, the same as the 911 Carrera, to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and reach 295 km/h. For the first time, the 911 Carrera T is also offered in a Cabriolet version.

But what really makes this model stand out is its 6-speed manual gearbox. A marvelous accessory made of precious wood, absolutely delightful when handled wisely and especially at the right ratio. Thinking of its customers who are less skilled at driving, Porsche has included an auto-blip function that, when activated, compensates automatically and specifically for the differences in RPM between the engine and the gearbox during downshifts. Essentially, the car performs heel-toe downshifting for you.

To optimize the behavior of this car, which is essentially an improved Carrera, the configuration of the rear steering wheels has been specifically developed for a more dynamic performance. With 20-inch wheels in the front and 21-inch wheels in the back, it will truly play with the rear end in the curves!

In addition to the traditional touches of Vanadium Gray on the front hood, the inserts in the grille of the rear hood, the outer mirror shells, and the polished lightweight alloy wheels, the Carrera T receives a carbon spoiler inherited from the 911 Carrera GTS and a few MT badges for “Manual Transmission” here and there. A little touch, a sticker with the gear lever logo indicates on each rear window that it is a version with a manual gearbox!

The Porsche 911 Carrera T is now available for order in France starting at 145,100 euros and 159,300 euros for the Cabriolet version. If we compare it to the base Carrera, this gives us a price per kilo saved at… you know what, like the amount of the ecological penalty, it doesn’t matter. A lightweight 911 with a manual gearbox deserves respect!

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