2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T brings back driving purity

Porsche’s 911 range is already a confusing maze for every petrolhead other than the rabid Porsche nuts. Now, a new model called Porsche Carrera T — T for Touring — adds to this complex picture. Following the lines of the 911 R and 911 GT3 Touring models, this new model is a stripped-out base Carrera which believes in the equation of less weight and more speed.

Modelled after the limited-edition 911 R which quickly became a speculator’s dream car, the Porsche Carrera T starts out as a base Carrera with no rear seats and infotainment system. This shaves off some weight from the original car. But Porsche will fit them back without asking an extra penny. Some of the sound deadening material is also removed from the Carrera to reduce weight. No, you’re not getting them back. All these cullings result in a weight saving of 20 kilos from the base car, and a total weight of 1425 kilos.

The lightness is not the only thing that comes standard with the Carrera T. It also gets the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PSAM) which lowers the car by 20mm. The “Sport Chrono Package” is also optimised for the lighter T. The manual gearbox is tuned with shorter ratio and a shorter lever. The four-wheel steering system from the higher 911 models can be added as an option.

The 20-inch wheels on which the Carrera T sits, are borrowed from the Carrera S. The front bumper houses a new front lip that enhances aero. The Carrera T also gets model exclusive logos and central black tailpipes. The engine bay lid at the rear gets vertical slats, which gives the T an exclusive look.

Under the lid resides a biturbo 3.0-litre flat-six engine with 370 hp and 450 Nm. Only 0.1 seconds are shaved off the base Carrera’s 0-100 kph timing, which now stands at 4.5 seconds. Even though the manual gearbox is standard, the PDK gearbox is offered as an option. This can shave off another 0.3 seconds from the 0 to 100 kph timing. Both models max out at 290 kph.

Orders for the Porsche Carrera T are already being taken by Porsche, with a base price of Dhs 391,200 in the UAE, and the deliveries are expected to begin by March 2018.