Now, Porsche is complete the top end of its performance 911 lineit’s giving some love back to the bottom. Carrera T is returning for the 2023 model year and it follows the same pattern as before. It takes a basic 911 Carrera, removes some weight and adds a bunch of performance parts normally reserved for the more powerful Carrera S.
The Carrera T also has a perk for budget-oriented 911 buyers (if that’s a thing). The standard Carrera is only available with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The T comes standard with a seven-speed manual. It certainly offers more steering feel, but it’s also lighter than a dual-clutch transmission. And saving weight is an important part of the Carrera T package. It has poorer soundproofing, thinner glass, and is smaller. the battery and no rear seats as standard. That brings curb weight down to 3,254 pounds, 100 pounds less than the base Carrera and 44 lower than the Carrera S., but odds are it will weigh close to the standard Carrera.
The performance upgrade goes beyond weight reduction measures. It picks up the torque and mechanical limited-slip differential from the Carrera S and a lower adaptive sport suspension. Neither of these features are available on the regular Carrera, and the latter is optional on the S. Also standard on the T is the standard Sport Chrono package, four-way adjustable Sports Seats, and a Sport exhaust. with black tips, all again options on the S as well as the regular Carrera. If that weren’t enough, more adjustable seats, lightweight bucket seats, a rear-wheel steering and additional leather interior trim are all options available on the T.
While the Carrera T gets a ton of performance upgrades from the S, it sticks with the regular Carrera’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine. It still makes 379 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. With the manual transmission, the T will hit 60 km/h in 4.3 seconds and the dual-clutch transmission reduces the time to 3.8 seconds. That’s not particularly far from the 443-hp Carrera S with the manual transmission and 3.3 seconds with the dual-clutch (both with the Sport Chrono package). The T’s 181 mph top speed is also just 10 mph less than the S’s top speed.
Porsche also gives the Carrera T a bit of visual flair. It gets the S staggered 20-inch and 21-inch wheels. The interior is gray, but there’s the aforementioned sport seats and a sports steering wheel. It can be further enhanced with an interior package that can add gray or green seat belts and safety stripes, or leather upholstery, as well as the 911 logo stitched into the seat backs.
As for the cost of the Carrera T, it starts at $118,050. That price fits between the base 911 Carrera and the optional Carrera S with standard T equipment. The difference is about $11,000 more than the base Carrera (can’t be as optional as a T). and about $13,000 less than the Carrera S. Similarly equipped, the Carrera S is getting more power, but the actual difference isn’t huge. As such, it seems like a pretty compelling package to us.
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