New Tsport R is 505hp rethink of 911 Carrera T
What does Porsche's manual 911 need? Thousand-year-old bog oak, apparently
If you’ve ever thought the interior of Porsche’s best current-gen 911 was lacking in imagination, you’ll probably appreciate the new ‘Tsport R’ packs just revealed by German tuner, Techart. Available as one of several components in four customisable 992.2 Carrera T upgrade kits, the firm takes the concept of the model’s timber-finished gear knob and runs with it - all the way to a handcrafted alternative that now features thousand-year-old bog oak.
Sourced from a fallen tree in a bog (hence the name) before being compressed and carbonised into wood layers, Techart - which has been upgrading and racing Porsches since 1987 - says this new cabin centrepiece ‘carries the traces of its long history’ in its final format. Does it feel extra special knowing so many years of nature are involved as you slice from third to fourth? Having Porsche’s twin-turbo six at full chat behind you probably still helps.
The upgrade packs - including a power-focused Anstieg, aero-enhancing Höhenmeter and design-tweaking Berfggipfel, with a carbon-adding Kurvenrausch for good measure - can also be applied to manual and PDK Carreras, with the latter getting their own version of the bog oak lever. As you might expect, the 992.2 3.0-litre flat-six enjoys healthy gains too, with 505hp and 391lb ft of torque signifying jumps of 111hp and 59lb ft over the standard motor.
This ought to ensure that both three- and two-pedal Carreras go from very brisk sports cars to bona fide exotica. A PDK-equipped Carrera reaches 62mph in just 3.4 seconds, six-tenths quicker than standard, while 124mph comes in just 9.7 seconds, an improvement of 4.7 seconds. That gives a Techart-tuned Carrera the legs to beat Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 Pro to the same mark by 1.2 seconds. While we don’t get stats for the manual car, expect similar gains.
You’ll probably be wanting a deeper boxer soundtrack to go with that extra performance, so Techart’s Anstieg pack includes a new sports exhaust system said to dynamically adapt to the driving scenario. Using valves to keep the pipework sensible enough for road use but to add ‘more emotion’ when you want it, the system is complemented by a subtle rear spoiler (which is more like a lip above the rear light bar) which actually adds downforce.
That said, if body addenda is your thing, the Tsport R’s most aero-focused pack adds a new carbon fibre nose, front spoiler and side skirts. The biggest upgrade is at the rear, where a prominent diffuser is joined either by a pretty dovetail-esque ‘Spoiler II’ (how German) or a GT3-alike rear wing, dubbed Spoiler III, which looks epic and has a predictably significant impact on rear stability. The carbon, by the way, can be finished in matte or high gloss, and you get extra sprinklings of it in the cabin too.
It’s not all perfect, though. The swapping of the perfectly circular 992 Carrera’s steering wheel for one that gains longer lower arms and a flat bottom might not sit right with everyone. It looks a bit, well, droopy in the picture. At least it comes wrapped in Alcantara and gets its own extra bits of carbon on the spokes. Plus the red stripe in the middle matches the red surround on the mode selector. Bonus.
Because the four packs can be customised to each buyer’s preferences, Techart hasn’t revealed prices for the Tsport R additions. But presumably with all of that power, carbon and ancient oak in the mix, you’ll need a significant budget beyond the £115k needed to buy a standard Carrera T. So good luck with that lottery ticket tomorrow.
So the designer was probably influenced by joinery rather than a classic ‘ducktail’ spoiler I presume?
“The upgrade packs - including a power-focused Anstieg, aero-enhancing Höhenmeter and design-tweaking Berfggipfel, with a carbon-adding Kurvenrausch for good measure”
Apart from sounding like particularly flimsy IKEA cabinets, the last one also manages to sound like the worst selection of letters you’d get in Scrabble.
I have such better steering wheel, ala GT4 and sorts 911
now I have to buy a Porsche lol, but I just wanted one of Porsche's best looking steering wheel, hah, fits in many Porsche models, but for now its in a box upstairs...
I have such better steering wheel, ala GT4 and sorts 911
now I have to buy a Porsche lol, but I just wanted one of Porsche's best looking steering wheel, hah, fits in many Porsche models, but for now its in a box upstairs...
Your hubris is off the charts.
And the writer of Anstieg, Höhenmeter, Berfggipfel and Kurvenrausch has a Backpfeifengesicht!
I actually quite like this- always a sucker for a duck tail- and I don’t think it’s all about performance, more about being a little different.
Each to their own as they say and I can think of worse things to do to a 911.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff