2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T: Everything You Need to Know About This Manual Transmission Sports Car
The Porsche 911 range is an ever-fluctuating, seldom-understood segment that never fails to provide car enthusiasts with everyday performance. Yet, it’s tough to buy a 911 these days. It’s not the price or supply chain issues that create the challenge but the abundance of choice.
Porsche currently offers their flagship sports car in six trim levels with various configurations. There are rear-wheel drive 911s, all-wheel drive 991s, 2+2 coupes, Cabriolets, and a Targa top. In the end, there are 24—count ’em, 24—trim levels. In case 911 aficionados needed more choices, Porsche has debuted another one. As the 25th prospect for customers to ponder over, the “T” variant returns.
What does the “T” mean?
Porsche says the letter T stands for “Touring.” The moniker was birthed as a 1968 homologation for FIA’s Group 3, featuring a 110-horsepower 2.0-liter air-cooled flat-six. The homage to the Monte Carlo-winning 911 T was offered until 1973 as a light, minimalist version of the company’s production sports car.
In 2017, Porsche revived the purity package in the 991-generation model line. Porsche says the T “signifies models with equipment that enhances both driving pleasure and performance.” Prior to the 911, the T designation was implemented in the 718 Cayman, 718 Boxster, and Macan.
So where does the Carrera T fit in the lineup, then? The 911 Carrera T sits just above the base model Carrera and below the mid-range Carrera S. Realistically, a Carrera T is a special 911 version without being a hardcore GT3.
What’s new for the 911 Carrera T?
When strolling into the local Porsche dealership for a Carrera T, customers get a base 911 with a myriad of standard performance-enhancing equipment. The Carrera T comes with Porsche’s Sport Chrono Package and PASM active suspension management system. Both are options on the higher-spec Carrera S that aren’t available on the base model.
The T variant also employs the Carrera S’s limited-slip differential with torque vectoring, which is unavailable on the base Carrera. Moreover, shoppers can add in the rear-axle steering system, which is an option also unavailable on the 911 Carrera.
2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T performance figures
The Carrera T utilizes the base model’s 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six that puts down 379 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. While modern fans of Stuttgart’s engineering prowess may revere Porsche’s eight-speed double-clutch “PDK” transmission, it’s a choice on the 911 T.
Drivers can choose to manage power loss in between gear shifts as the T comes standard with a seven-speed manual. Some may think seven speeds are too many, and Porsche may agree. While the Porsche-ZF collaboration has seven gears, it has only six ratios, with the top gear relegated to overdrive, Car and Driver reports.
With the standard seven-speed manual, the rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera T accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, per Porsche. The PDK can reduce the sprint to 3.8 seconds at no cost, but the stick shift offers an ethereal “oneness” with the car.
The Carrera T saves weight with reduced sound insulation, thinner glass, a smaller battery, and rear seat deletion to prove its lightweight nomenclature. Combined with the lighter transmission, the Carrera T is 100 lbs. less than the 3,354-lb PDK-equipped 911 Carrera. Luckily, the 911’s 181 mph can be achieved regardless of transmission choice.
2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T creature comforts
Although the Carrera T comes without rear seats, they can be put back in for free. However, the company won’t allow it if the carbon fiber front bucket seats have been selected. If shoppers want a back seat, though, the standard front seats fitted are four-way adjustable Sport Seats Plus.
Otherwise, the interior features an array of high-quality materials. Matte black and decorative inlays can even be enhanced with optional leather on the door armrests and panels, center console, and dashboard.
Customers seeking additional differentiation can choose the Carrera T Interior Package. This configuration features Slate Grey or Lizard Green seat belts, center-seat stripes in one of the colors, and decorative stitching. Surrounding the GT Sport steering wheel are 911 logos on the headrests and the floormats, trimmed in one of the aforementioned colors.
Is a 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T worth it?
Some say the Carrera T is all about that manual transmission, but it’s much more. With only a $10,500 premium over the base Carrera, there’s plenty of kit from higher-priced models without the eye-watering MSRP. The Carrera T is a stealthy, analog-flavored counter-revolutionary pitted against tech-heavy sports cars and punches far above its lightweight classification.
The Carrera T will be on sale in Spring 2023, and Kelley Blue Book says prices start at just over $118,000. The sticker makes it $6,400 less than the $124,450 Carrera S, debatably the sweetest juxtaposition of the 992 generation’s price and performance.
