Porsche 911 T returns, adds new Cabriolet option

The best version of the 911 Carrera gets the 992.2 treatment; upgrades to a six-speed manual

The modern 911 Carrera T has turned out to be one of Porsche’s better wheezes. Conceptually, the nomenclature traces its routes back to the homologated touring car Porsche introduced in 1968 - but really the 2017 derivative was a clever way of bringing back the option of a manual gearbox to the entry-level, rear-drive Carrera, and dusting it with a mostly superficial layer of lightness at the same time. Based on it having no additional power, a lesser manufacturer might have made a complete hash of this marginal distinction, but Porsche (in typical fashion) managed to make what was basically a well-curated list of options seem like a whole new thing. For any enthusiast not prepared to stretch to a lustier, costlier GTS, it was perfect.

No surprise then that it returns in 992.2 format, and, given its success, it makes sense that Porsche has added the option of a Cabriolet version for the first time. While at first glance that might seem to go against the grain of the T’s more bare-knuckle approach, the thought of a manual, rag-top 911 not configured like a sun lounger is actually a mildly compelling one, and its maker is probably keen to (albeit at a much higher cost) fill the combustion-engined, open-top gap that will be left in the showroom by the soon-to-depart 718 Boxster.

The next most notable addition is the introduction of a six-speed manual in place of the old seven-speed unit. The new transmission, with a dual-disc clutch and dual-mass flywheel, is said to be a lightened and smoother-shifting evolution of its predecessor, and obviously dispenses with the previously fiddly route into and out of its final ratio. As a result, the transition to six speeds, oddly downplayed by Porsche, is almost certain to be a welcome one - not least because, with the hybridised GTS now auto-only, it carves out an even more strongly defined point of difference for the latest T.

Moreover, it is another contributor to the 42kg overall reduction in kerbweight Porsche reckons you’ll achieve versus the standard Carrera, assuming you get the spec right. That saving, nursed along by the return of lightweight windows and reduced insulation, sees the 992.2 dip modestly back under 1,500kg, which is welcome, if hardly game-changing. Also, let's not forget that with 394hp from the Carrera-spec twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six, the new T boasts (very slightly) more power than ever before. The coupe will get to 62mph in 4.5 seconds and hit 183mph (for the inevitably heavier Cabriolet, it’s 4.7 seconds and 182mph).

Of course, while the standard fitment of the sports exhaust is meant to make it more emotive, straight-line speed is not the compelling reason for buying a T (the cheaper and quicker-shifting Carrera is faster still); it’s the sharper handling that has helped to earn the model a devoted following. And there ought to be no deficiency on that score: once again, you get the Sport Chrono Package and lower-by-10mm PASM adaptive sports suspension by default, but also now standard is Porsche’s rear-axle steering. This is said to have been tuned specifically for its deployment in the T, and its inclusion means that the engineers have been able to tweak the front and rear anti-roll bars for more ’neutral handling’.

Naturally, you get the larger, fancier Carrera S 20/21-inch alloys, as well as bigger brakes, with the T upgrading to 350mm discs all round and six-piston callipers at the front. Cosmetically speaking, the T’s enhancements are fairly minor - the wheels are in Vanadium Grey Metallic (matching some of the exterior trim) and there’s the spoiler lip borrowed from the GTS - but otherwise it’s most about paint colour and stickers. The former includes what seems like a wider choice of Shade Green Metallic, Crayon, Slate Grey Neo, Guards Red, Lugano Blue, Gentian Blue Metallic, Cartagena Yellow Metallic, Jet Black Metallic, GT Silver Metallic and Ice Grey Metallic; while the latter adds a shift pattern logo to the rear windows for the first time.

Inside, it’s mostly about ambience, too, the chief difference being the new shortened gear lever topped with a laminated, open-pore walnut gear knob. Porsche cites this as a ‘visual and tactile highlight’, although we’d bet on it being a bit more divisive than that. Let’s see. Elsewhere you get more inlays in Vanadium Grey and a leather-upholstered (and heated) GT sports steering wheel complete with the drive mode switch. Four-way electrically adjustable leather sports seats are also standard, although you’ll need the optional bucket seats if you want to claim the full effect of the T’s weight saving.

However, before you make ready with that tick, it’s probably worth reflecting on the updated price, which now starts at £111,300 (or £121,300 for the Cabriolet). On the basis that the 991-era version started life as a £85k car, that feels like a substantial hike - although with a 911 Carrera now costing from £99,800 in its stocking feet (and a GTS at £132,600) its positioning in the lineup does at least make sense. Porsche will argue, as it has done so previously with the T, that its fettling of the 911 recipe - and especially the presence of a gearbox made conspicuous by its absence elsewhere - has delivered the most cost-effective fast-road version possible. It is a testament to the badge and its precocious legacy that we very much look forward to finding out if that is still the case.

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sidesauce

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