The Porsche 911 Carrera T Is Still The Purist's Choice: Review

Less weight, better suspension, and that wooden shift knob make any driver smile

Photo by: Jeff Glucker | Motor1

By: Jeff Glucker

Jul 1, at 12:00pm ET

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It’s getting harder to find a proper sports car with a manual gearbox. They exist, but your options are dwindling. You’d think an icon like Porsche would offer a plethora of row-it-yourself choices, but even Stuttgart’s finest have reduced their manual-equipped machines to just a handful.

There is, however, a remaining bright spot in the Porsche 911 lineup. Well, there are many bright spots, but for manual gearbox purists, there’s really one choice left: the 911 Carrera T.

The idea remains the same today as it did when the 911 T first arrived back in 1968. Keep it simple, keep it light, and keep it pure. Porsche once again nails that formula on the latest 992.2-generation Carrera T.

Lightweight Solutions

Porsche does a handy job visually separating the T from the standard Carrera below it. A dash of gray paint on the side mirror covers, a front chin spoiler borrowed from the GTS, and standard Sport exhaust outlets finished in black stainless steel. There’s also a sticker on the rear wide windows indicating the manual gearbox's shift pattern.

Open the door, and you’re greeted with a rather lovely sight that serves as a reminder of Porsche’s own motorsport history. It seems a simple touch, but the walnut ball shift knob harkens all the way back to the iconic 917 race car.

In 1970, Porsche swapped out an aluminum shifter for the wooden one in order to save a few ounces. The car won a handful of races, including Porsche’s first-ever Le Mans victory. The 917 did it again in 1971, too. So it’s fair to say there’s emotion and meaning behind Porsche once again going with wood for the shift lever here in the modern-day 911 Carrera T.

Photo by: Jeff Glucker | Motor1

And the gearbox here is quite a good one. Porsche takes the prior seven-speed unit used in the 992.1 but reduces the cog count to six. The transmission bolts to the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter boxer-six engine, which delivers 388 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. Porsche says the setup is good for a 0-60 mph dash of 4.3 seconds.

Not an awe-inspiring number by today’s metrics, but still fun and likely lower in the real world. Porsche is known to underrate its own performance numbers. From the driver’s seat, the car never feels anything close to slow.

Plenty Powerful

The engine certainly is not one of the all-powerful mills found as you climb upward through the 911 lineup. Even the Carrera S, just one rung above, makes nearly 500 horsepower.

But the pursuit of pure power runs counter to the core tenets that make the T special. Some might scoff at this notion, but less power for the T allows a driver to get closer to the car's limits and do so in an enjoyable, entertaining manner.

Balance arrives courtesy of that lower-powered motor paired with brilliant chassis work and weight reduction. Porsche fits the Carrera T with its PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) system as standard kit, which lowers the car by 10 millimeters compared to the standard Carrera.

Photos by: Jeff Glucker | Motor1

Porsche then fits larger brakes with a six-piston caliper up front. Rear-axle steer and a quicker steering ratio combine with the revised front-and-rear anti-roll bars and mechanical rear differential to allow the driver to lay down power exactly where you want it, when you want it.

And you’re never going to be overwhelming the massive 305-section-width rear tires with less than 400 horsepower on tap.

Porsche manages to shed pounds courtesy of lightweight glass, reduced sound deadening, and optional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic bucket seats. The result is a 911 with the lowest curb weight in the family tree.

Photo by: Jeff Glucker | Motor1

Verdict: A Delightful Driving Experience

Driving the 911 Carrera T is a truly delightful experience. The shifter feels like it was built just for your hand, while the thin-rimmed steering wheel serves as a great counterpoint to the often-too-bulky tillers found in other automakers’ sportiest models. With its base-tier 911 engine, the T remains approachable for a wide range of drivers and can be easily operated as a daily driver as well.

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Comments

Finding a balanced, pure driving experience feels like an ever more difficult task in today’s automotive landscape. But Porsche nails just that with the 911 Carrera T. Plus, this is one of just two versions of the 911 where a manual gearbox is even offered. The king of the mountain GT3 still offers a manual option, yet it also starts north of $235k, and even if you wanted to buy one, your local dealer will likely tell you to kick rocks.

Or you have this truly excellent Carrera T with its nearly $150,000 starting price. Tons of money, certainly. But a price worthy of an experience that’s getting harder and harder to come by these days.