The 991 Carrera T is, in a way, the anti-Porsche, or perhaps recalls the Porsche that Porsche used to be. As the company’s sports car line continually focuses on quicker lap times at the expense of driver engagement, and the company’s non-sports cars become ever more the focus of the sales floor, the Carrera T is anti-thematic for the brand in a way. It’s a throwback to Porsche’s simpler times, when the 911 was more about driver inputs, and their corresponding outcomes. This video from Carfection has Henry Catchpole waxing poetic about the Carrera T’s incredible simplicity, and he’s making a case for the model that rings true. He is a driver, we are drivers, the Carrera T is explicitly for us.
Catchpole reckons, “It’s Porsche’s attempt to bring a driver 911 to more people,” and that’s true in many ways, not least of which being the extra $41,000 chunk it takes to buy a GT3. In other ways; The Carrera T is less powerful, making that barrier to entry less important, it’s less intimidating. The Carrera T, like the base model it cribs its 3-liter turbo engine from, rides on huge waves of linear torque, while the GT3 relies on staccato high-rpm horsepower to move quickly. In a way that the GT3 could never be, the Carrera T is a usable every day. If it makes sense, the Carrera T is the friend who will go out of their way to make you happy, while the GT3 expects you to be happy on its terms.
With the vintage 911T moniker meaning a stripped down to basics, bare bones sports car experience, I would have liked to have seen this one go a few steps further. As noted in the video, the 991.2 Carrera T is only about 40 pounds lighter than a base Carrera, a difference nobody will ever feel. I think this car would have been better served for its purpose with the GT3’s 6-speed gearbox, nothing but ABS, a defeatable traction control, limited slip differential, and about an extra 150 pounds lost. No options, no silly add-ons, just a lightweight base Carrera with a limited slip. With simplicity like that, Porsche could have dropped the price another ten grand and still come out ahead. Even Catchpole says similar toward the end, but as it stands, this is the one we get, however, and it’s a step in the right direction.
Go for a drive with an old friend. Take it to the shops, but take the long way.