Porsche 911 Carrera T revealed: less weight, more performance

Porsche has evoked the famed 911 T of 1968 for the latest derivative of its famed 911 series of sports coupés, with go-faster mechanicals and weight-reducing measures combining to increase its appeal to enthusiast drivers.

Although it is based on the standard 911 Carrera, the 3.0-litre flat-six turbocharged engine now develops 365bhp and drives the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual gearbox with shorter ratios for improved acceleration. A mechanical limited-slip differential is also standard.

The 911 Carrera T is available to order now for delivery in January, priced from £85,576.

To reduce weight by 20kg, the back seats have been omitted and much of the sound deadening removed, while the rear and side windows are made of thinner glass.

Other features include Porsche Active Suspension Management with a 10mm lower ride height and Porsche's Sport Chrono Package with a steering wheel-mounted mode selector. The gear lever is shorter with the gate picked out in red (which will help shave nanoseconds off your time around the Nurburgring).

The centre sections of the seats elctrically adjustable are trimmed in a fabric called Sport-Tex (full bucket seats are available as an option), while rear-axle steering is optional.

Thanks to the greater power and revised gear ratios, the 911 T can accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.5sec - a whole 0.1sec faster than the standard 911 Carrera Coupé. It can reach 124mph in 15.1sec.

With the optional Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) semi-automatic twin-clutch gearbox, the 0-62mph sprint takes 4.2sec and 0-124mph comes up in 14.5sec. The top speed of both versions is 180mph.

As well as 911 Carrera T graphics, the exterior has been tittivated with a revised front spoiler, grey metallic door mirrors and dark grey 20-inch alloy wheels. 

At the rear there are further 911 T graphics, slats in the engine cover and centrally positioned twin exhaust outlets.

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