PORSCHE 911 CARRERA T

‘THE INSTANT REACTION TO EVERY ACTION YOU DIAL IN BRINGS THE 992 TO LIFE AND A GRIN TO YOUR FACE’ – STUART GALLAGHER

EVO AND THE 992 GENERATION OF PORSCHE 911 have not had the easiest of relationships when we’re not talking GT models. Its size plays a role, so too a set-up that feels a little generic and lacking that 911 sense of specialness as Porsche has created a car to appeal to the widest global audience possible, cashing in on the icon’s status. For us it resulted in a 911 with a bit of an identity crisis and not totally convinced of its role.

Within a few miles the Carrera T immediately felt like the 992 we had been waiting for. There’s a simplicity to its make-up with its turbocharged 3-litre flat-six retaining the base Carrera’s 380bhp tune, but matching that engine with a manual transmission for the first time. Rear drive, rear-axle steering (an option), adaptive sports suspension and a 35kg weight loss complete the ingredients that make the T the 911 we knew had been in the 992 all along.

But 2023 is an incredibly tough year for a 992 Carrera to be making its eCoty debut, and not only because it will be sharing the stage with one of its bigger brothers. Such is the level of performance all our contenders can provide, the Carrera T will need to rely on all its reserves to stand out from the lightweights and specials, the bespoke and the feral. It will need to remind us why the 911 has been held in such high regard by so many for so long. A good 911 Carrera model is always welcome, and not only because you can probably walk into a dealer and order one. Although it won’t have escaped your attention that there are two 911s in this year’s test…