The 911 R for the ‘rest of us’ slot in between the base Carrera and Carrera S.
It was just announced and already signs are clear that Porsche’s newest 911 variant, the Carrera T, is going to enjoy some considerable sales success. The ’T’ takes weight down while adding some choice features that are usually reserved for more expensive varieties and which also enhances the car's dynamics.
There’s no doubt that the Carrera T is aimed at a specific type of 911 buyer but it is Porsche’s opinion that that slice of the market is shifting toward prefering a more engaging driving experience even if it means sacrificing some measure of comfort and equipment.
After all, lots of cars exist that are better equipped and more comfortable than a Porsche 911 while being much less expensive to boot. They’re betting on more customers wanting a ‘purer’ sports car as opposed to a consummate allrounder, which is likely why they turned to the prospect of Porsche ownership in the first place. It's a demographic that previously had no choice but to sell an organ or two in order to afford a GT3.
Porsche’s new entrant into the already expansive 911 family, which has begun taking orders, will be rolling out to buyers close to March 2018. In Australia, interested individuals will have to fork out $238,400 (including on-road costs) for the privilege, but probably won’t have to wait too long after the car’s European release to get their hands on one locally with the import window earmarked for Q2 of next year. It's an expected price point, sandwiched in between the Carrera (that it's based on) and the more powerful Carrera S.
We have to wonder if the emergence of the Porsche 911 Carrera T is the result of an organic growing market demand for a more back-to-basics, more focused, analogue sports car that just happened to coincide with 40th anniversary of the nameplates first appearance in the late 1970s, or was it a well-orchestrated series of masterfully calculated prodding by Zuffenhausen’s product planning department?
After all, there were a series of foreshocks that led up to the Carrera T’s announcement. The limited run 911 R of 2016 could be seen as the first piece to fall into place, essentially a track-honed 911 GT3 with most of the aero and sound deadening material removed and available only available with a manual transmission. Collectors with deep pockets went into a frenzy and scooped up every one before most of us had time to wipe away our drool.
Then, in late 2017, the automaker announced it would be producing a new variant of the GT3 that, like the lightweight RS, would indeed feature ‘less’. Only, it wasn’t replacing existing parts with even lighter alternatives and starving itself in the name of agility but rather shedding them completely. The 911 GT3 Touring did away with the big rear spoiler, dive planes, and look-at-me decals but kept the glorious 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six, rear-wheel steering, and - again - was to only be offered with a manual transmission.
Now, just months later, we have this: the Carrera T. Based on the entry level 911 in contrast to the more high end GT3, it mates a limited slip differential, optional rear-wheel steering, close-ratio manual transmission with a potent but arguably less organically effervescent twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six that’s good for 272kW and 450Nm. One wonders.
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