Porsche introduces lightweight Carrera T

PORSCHE has revealed a new, lightweight, driver-focused version of its 911 coupe, dubbed the Carrera T, which will land in Australian showrooms in the second quarter of 2018 priced from $238,400 plus on-roads.

The Carrera T – which stands for ‘Touring’ – aims to provide greater engagement and enjoyment for the driver compared with the regular Carrera variant, with the standard addition of a mechanical limited-slip differential, close-ratio manual gearbox and weight-saving materials.

Other changes over the Carrera include tweaks to the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system which has lowered ride height by 20mm, an optimised version of the Sport Chrono Package, a shortened shift throw with red shift pattern and Sport-Tex seat centres.

The interior has been stripped out in order to save weight, with the removal of sound deadening materials, as well as handles in place of pull loops, the deletion of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system and the addition of lightweight glass on the rear window and rear side windows.

All up it results in a 20kg weight saving over a comparable Carrera, meaning a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 4.5 seconds – 0.1s quicker than the Carrera.

With the optional PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission fitted, that time drops to 4.2s.

No changes have been made to the Carrera’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine, which continues to output 272kW of power at 6500rpm and 450Nm of torque between 1750-5000rpm, feeding power to the rear wheels.

The Carrera T is distinguishable from the Carrera with an aerodynamically optimised front lip spoiler, door mirrors finished in Agate Grey metallic hue, 20-inch Carrera S wheels in Titan Grey, and ‘911 Carrera T’ livery along the side sills.

At the rear, vertical slats feature on the rear lid grille, with the model designation finished in Agate Grey and the central tailpipes in black.

Exterior colour choices include Black, Lava Orange, Guards Red, Racing Yellow, White and Miami Blue, with metallic hues consisting of Carrara White, Jet Black and GT Silver.

Inside, the Carrera T gets four-way electric sports seats with a Sport-Tex fabric centre, 911 logo stitched into the headrests and a leather-trimmed GT sports steering wheel.

An optional T interior packages adds interior trim elements finished in Racing Yellow, Guards Red or GT Silver finish.

Its $238,400 pricetag makes it $17,500 dearer than the equivalent entry-level 911 Carrera, and also edges out the $237,000 all-paw Carrera 4.

Through the first three quarters of 2017, Porsche has sold 368 examples of the 911, representing a 2.4 per cent slide over the same period last year.

It easily leads the sales race in the $200,000-plus sportscar segment, ahead of the Ferrari range (134), BMW 6 Series (108) and Aston Martin coupe/convertibles (106).