Porsche goes back to basics

The Porsche 911 Carrera T. Image: Porsche AG via AFP Relaxnews

From the Carrera and the Carrera 4S to the Targa GTS and beyond, the 911 range is growing so quickly and offers so many standard and optional equipment choices that it can be the automotive equivalent of trying to order breakfast in an American diner. However, the latest model is simplicity to a T.

That’s because the new Porsche 911 Carrera T is about ditching everything that doesn’t relate directly to driving fun; so much so that one of its options is an infotainment system (or as Porsche calls it the Porsche Communication Management system) delete.

In the same pursuit of sporting purity and instantaneous performance, the car comes without rear seats (but if you ask nicely, Porsche will reinstall them at no extra cost), nor does it offer much, if anything, in terms of sound deadening. That has all been stripped out. As have all interior trim and decorative fripperies. Even the rear and rear-side windows are of the lightweight glass variety.

All of these weight-saving measures mean the car tips the scales at 1425 kilograms, that’s a full 20 kilograms lighter than the standard 911 Carrera. That means that its turbocharged six-cylinder 370 horse power engine can catapult the vehicle to 100 kilometers per hour from standstill in 4.2 seconds when specified with Porsche’s paddle-shift transmission.

The Porsche 911 Carrera T. Image: Porsche AG via AFP Relaxnews

But because this car is all about purity, the majority of owners are going to specify it with the six-speed manual gearbox complete with shortened gear-shifter, and that will mean a slightly slower (4.5 seconds) 0 to 100 kilometers per hour time, but the same 290 kilometers per hour+ top speed.

Still, some options and additions usually reserved for the higher echelons of the 911 range are available for the Carrera T, and they include rear-axel steering for even greater handling precision, plus the Sport Chrono Package. However, one of the biggest additions to the car is the company’s phenomenal PASM sports chassis set-up which, among other things, drops the car’s ride height by 20 millimeters, and which will come as standard, rather than optional equipment.

And, to ensure that the new car stands out from the rest of the 911 fraternity, it gets a unique front spoiler lip, the side mirror housings are finished in grey, it sits on special 20-inch alloy wheels, while round the back there’s a new rear lid grille design, and the sports exhaust system is finished in black. JB

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