This is the slowest Porsche 911 on sale. Pull up at the lights next to Gary in his new Golf R and you’ll be outsprinted to 62mph, albeit only by 0.1 seconds.
Does that matter? To some people it will. But then any number of electric SUVs can deliver the one-dimensional rush of rapid acceleration. The new 911 Carrera T Cabriolet offers something more cerebral than straight-line speed.
The Carrera T first joined the 911 range in 2017, as part of the previous ‘991’ generation. Based on the entry-level Carrera, but with less weight, a keener chassis and the option of a manual gearbox, it quickly became a 911 fan favourite, viewed as a more attainable alternative to a GT3.
After returning with the current ‘992’ Porsche 911, the Carrera T has just received a revamp. It’s now manual-only – in contrast to the regular Carrera, which only comes with the PDK automatic ’box – and sold as a Cabriolet for the first time. Is a drop-top T the answer to a question nobody asked?
Hurry up and weight
Let’s deal with the Cabriolet thing first. If a Carrera T is the purist’s choice – a car with ‘the emphasis on driving fun’, to use Porsche’s words – then surely a drop-top dilutes that purity? A weight saving of up to 40kg for the T coupe versus its Carrera sibling is more than wiped out by the electric folding roof, which adds around 100kg to the total. And a convertible inevitably feels more flexible and less focused, right?
Perhaps. But driving fun means different things to different people, and the pleasure of going al fresco arguably trumps the quest for ultimate agility and feedback, particularly on busy British roads. At 1,580kg with fluids and fuel, the Carrera T Cabriolet is also fairly trim by 2025 standards. A BMW M4 convertible weighs 373kg more.
Besides, the combination of rear-wheel drive, plenty of power and a manual gearbox is a real rarity in 2025. So how about we park any ideological qualms and judge this 911 on its own merits? After all, nobody said a sports car needs to make sense.
Wood you believe it?
Priced at £111,300 for the coupe or precisely £10,000 more for the Cabriolet, the T shares its 2,981cc twin-turbocharged engine with the 911 Carrera. The headline numbers are 394 horsepower, 332lb ft of torque, 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and a 182mph maximum. Drive carefully and you should see mid-20s miles per gallon, while official CO2 emissions are 244-250g/km.
The six-speed manual gearbox is a development of the old – and oft-criticised – seven-speeder, using the shortened shift lever from the limited edition 911 S/T. Pride of place goes to an open-pore laminated walnut gear knob: a knowing nod to the wooden shifters in Porsche’s Carrera GT supercar and all-conquering 917 racer.
Look closely and you’ll spot gearbox gate decals on the dashboard and rear side windows, too. As others consign the manual transmission to history, Porsche is keen to celebrate it.
Defining a 911 Carrera T
So, aside from a stick sprouting from its centre console, what sets the T apart from a Carrera? Key changes include PASM adaptive sports suspension that lowers the car by 10mm, a sports exhaust, larger 350mm brake discs, stiffer anti-roll bars and a more direct steering ratio. Agility-enhancing rear-axle steering is also fitted – technology not available on the Carrera.
Lightweight glass and removing some sound deadening saves a few kilos, while the Carrera T coupe also does without rear seats and has the option of fixed-back buckets in the front. The Cabriolet remains a four-seater, in theory at least, although anyone celebrating a birthday in double figures will struggle to squeeze into the back.
Externally, the Carrera T wears dark Vanadium Grey for its alloy wheels (20 inches at the front, 21s at the rear), door mirrors, engine grille and model badge. Inside, the Sport Chrono package is standard, plus you’ll find some pleasingly retro fabric choices. As with other 911s post the ‘992.2’ facelift, the analogue rev counter is replaced by a curved digital display, while a new start button sits to the left of the steering wheel (a feature that ‘harks back to legendary starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,’ says Porsche, somewhat tenuously) .
A blast of fresh air
Collecting a factory-fresh, Stuttgart-registered Carrera T Cabriolet from Porsche GB in Reading, I set off westwards on the M4. With the roof up at 70mph, tyre roar is ever-present, but the 911 cruises comfortably. Unless your daily commute includes a German autobahn, you won’t miss that seventh ratio.
Big knob aside (easy now!), the T’s interior is pleasingly understated, without the oversized screens or chintzy ambient lighting of some rivals (here’s looking at you, Mercedes-AMG). Porsche’s media system just works and there are plenty of physical buttons. Disabling the nagging electronic driver aids is straightforward, too.
As I exit the motorway and cut across country to the Cotswolds, it seems only proper to lower the roof: a process that takes 12 seconds at speeds up to 31mph. Going topless (I said easy now!) means you can better enjoy the cultured snarl of the flat-six, along with rasps and pops from the throatier exhaust. Whether you’re dawdling though villages or blasting along B-roads, it adds an extra layer of feelgood.
Make mine a manual
Despite its ‘slowest’ status, the Carrera never feels underpowered. In a 911 Turbo or new Carrera GTS T-Hybrid, the moments when you can flatten your right foot are few and far-between. Here, you can enjoy the engine’s hunger for revs more often, hanging onto each gear as it rushes to the 7,500rpm redline.
That transmission, of course, is the reason why the T lags behind a Carrera in a drag race, the human process of swapping cogs being no match for the precognitive efficiency of a dual-clutch ’box. But again, does it matter? Shifting manually is simply more satisfying; it heightens your sense of connection with the car.
The six-speeder is a fantastic gearbox, too. The clutch pedal is nicely weighted and the stubby lever moves with a notchy, well-oiled precision. Also, if your heel-and-toe technique needs work, switching into Sport mode auto-blips the throttle for seamlessly smooth downshifts. Did I mention the tactile wooden knob? So I did…
Verdict: Porsche 911 Carrera T Cabriolet
Hustled through some fast corners, the Porsche feels poised and responsive, its rear-axle steering imperceptibly sharpening turn-in or boosting stability at speed. Only on the bumpiest of roads will you detect any flex in the chassis. For the most part, it’s as composed as the coupe.
Granted, the Carrera T Cabriolet isn’t the last word in Porsche 911 performance or precision, but for a car that seems full of contradictions – a heftier version of a lightweight model, and a driver-focused spec in a more relaxed body style – it makes a curious kind of sense.
It’s a 911 that doesn’t take itself too seriously: a German with a sense of humour. The purists won’t get it – and neither will Gary in his Golf R. But you’ll be enjoying yourself too much to care.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
PRICE: £121,300
POWER: 394hp
0-62MPH: 4.7sec
TOP SPEED: 182mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 25.7-26.4mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 244g-250g/km