'T' For Lightness? Porsche 911 Carrera T Revealed

When the first-gen Porsche 911 was launched in 1964, the variants were called the T, E and the S. The 'T' variants, especially of later model years, were very popular because they are considered to be some of the 'purest' 911s one can drive. Porsche is trying to pacify the purists lately, it began with the 911R and the latest addition to the range is the 911 Carrera T.

The 'T' stands for 'Touring', says Porsche, which is confusing considering the changes made to the car do not make it particularly good for touring purposes.

The Carrera T is the lightest 911 on sale today; at 1425kg, it is 5kg lighter than the previous lightest 911 - the base Carrera Coupe. Porsche has achieved this by using lighter glass for the rear windshield and rear side windows, door opener loops instead of door handles on the inside, no infotainment system and less sound insulation. This means the Carrera T lets in more sound, does not have a music system and has not-so-easy to use doors - not particularly good for touring. 

With a shorter gear lever (yes, it is being offered with a 6-speed manual transmission), part-leather part-fabric seats, 10mm shorter sport suspension, shorter final gearing and a mechanically locking rear differential, it is clear that the 911 Carrera T is more about a 'purer' driving experience than touring. 

As always, Porsche is offering optional features to add to the 911 Carrera T's strengths; you can add lightness by fitting bucket seats at the front and deleting the rear seats altogether, make it more dynamically accomplished by adding a rear-wheel steering system and make it quicker and faster by adding the lightning-fast PDK dual-clutch transmission.

No changes have been made to the Carrera's engine, the T gets the same 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged flat-six cylinder petrol engine developing 370PS of maximum power and 459Nm of peak torque with power sent to the rear wheels. But it is inherently quicker and faster than the standard model thanks to the modest weight savings. Spec the Carrera T with the 6-speed manual and it can accelerate from 0-100kmph in 4.3 seconds and go on to a top speed of 293kmph. Fit it with the PDK and 0-100kmph comes up in 4 seconds flat while the top speed is limited to 290kmph.

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In terms of design, there are subtle additions on the outside that set the Carrera T apart. A new front spoiler lip, titanium-grey 20-inch wheels from the Carrera S, 'Agate' grey ORVM covers, rear decklid louvres, Porsche name badge and model designation are some of the easy to miss details on the Carrera T, though there is a very obvious ‘Carrera T’ stripe on the side. The Carrera T is equipped with a dual-pipe sport exhaust with black exhaust tips.

Inside, the Carrera T gets 4-way adjustable front sport seats with 'Sport-Tex' centre fabric inserts and the '911' logo embroidered onto the headrests. The gear lever for the manual transmission has the shift pattern embossed on it in red. Contrast coloured seat belts, logos, door opening loops and seat centres are available to spruce up the Carrera T's interior.

The Porsche 911 Carrera T is not the cheapest 911 you can buy. In typical Porsche fashion, you pay more for less weight (maybe they price their cars depending on the fun factor). If launched in India, expect the Carrera T to cost significantly more than the standard car's 1.43 crore price tag. Deliveries of the Carrera T will begin worldwide in early 2018.