Porsche confirms SA pricing for ‘purist’ 911 Carrera T

Porsche on Tuesday presented its new 911 Carrera T. Available as a coupé or cabriolet, this latest addition to the 992.2 model line-up is targeted at driving purists and as such offers a focus on lightweight construction, enhanced agility and a more emotive soundscape. 

Slotting in between the 911 Carrera and Carrera S, the Carrera T features lightweight windows and less insulation material to drop its kerb weight down to 1,478kg (a saving of more than 40kg in coupé form) should you specify the optional fixed-back bucket seats.

To make the most of this diet, Porsche fettled the sports car’s chassis to include standard rear-axle steering and a more direct steering ratio on the front axle. The German carmaker said this results in faster lateral acceleration and heightened stability. 

Porsche’s PASM adaptive sports suspension lowers the car by 10mm and features model-specific tuning to help drivers squeeze the most out of the car through corners.

You also benefit from front/rear anti-roll bars tweaked for neutral handling and a handsome set of staggered (20-inch front, 21-inch rear), Vanadium Grey Metallic alloy wheels borrowed from the Carrera S. Tyres measure 245/35 on the front axle and an extra wide 305/30 on the rear.

Powering the Carrera T is a 3.0l six-cylinder twin-turbocharged boxer engine producing 290kW and up to 450Nm of torque. Exhaling through a sports exhaust system, this punchy unit sends drive exclusively to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (there’s no option of PDK here) equipped with an automatic rev-matching system that enables smooth and seamless downshifts.

With the standard Sport Chrono Package, Porsche says the Carrera T coupé will sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds (4.7 seconds for the cabriolet) and reach a maximum speed of 295km/h (293km/h for the cabriolet).

Both models offer considerable stopping power courtesy a beefed-up braking package with an all-round disc diameter of 350mm and six-piston fixed calipers at the front.

Viewed in the metal, the Carrera T stands out from its other 911 siblings with an array of subtle cosmetic enhancements.

These include a unique sticker with the shift pattern logo on each of the triangular rear windows; model badging in Vanadium Grey and a rear lid grille and upper/lower exterior mirror trim finished in Vanadium Grey Metallic.

There’s also an aerodynamically optimised rear spoiler lip taken from the 911 Carrera GTS.

Interior highlights? Climb inside the 911 Carrera T and you’ll find four-way electrically adjustable sports seats upholstered in exclusive tartan fabric, a shortened gear lever topped with an open-pore, walnut-laminated wooden knob (a throwback to the Porsche 917 race car) and a leather-upholstered/heated GT sports steering wheel fitted with a mode switch.

In front of the gear lever is a badge with the “MT” (manual transmission) logo, while the shift pattern logo adorns the passenger side of the dashboard.

Adaptive Sports Seats Plus (18-way adjustable) or fixed-back bucket seats are available as options. 

Now available to order, the new Porsche 911 Carrera T coupé retails from R2,735,000 with a three-year Driveplan. The 911 Carrera T cabriolet starts at R3,019,000.