Ignore the attention-grabbing GT department’s cars to bag a bargain 911
What’s all this then?
It should be badged 911 P, for purist. The 911 T could have been one of the all-time greats, an under-the-radar GT-lite where only those in the know really understood exactly what it offered. It’s the knowing wink of the 911 world. Why could it have been even greater? Imagine it with a six-speed ’box and a naturally aspired 3.8-litre engine, instead of its turbo 3.0-litre. The trouble is that would have given a GT3 the sweats and we all know that Porsche has a stricter hierarchy policy than the Royal Family.
Actual bargain?
Sort of. New, the 991 versions were around £85k and low-mileage examples still command that now (well-used examples, in non-ideal spec, are out there for about £65k). But make the man maths work by convincing yourself that it won’t drop any further: putting it all on Porsche is a sound investment strategy.
And besides, the T still flies under the radar of speculators, unlike a GT3 Touring, or the even more ludicrous 911 R, the latter of which is still commanding prices of over £400k.
Partly that’s down to the T’s relative lack of headline-grabbing power. It has less power than the Carrera S, but thanks to some Weissach-style lightweighting – with thinner side windows, deleted rear seats and heaps of non-essential sound-deadening material – is only 0.2 seconds slower to 62mph. Other assets include a close-ratio gearbox, a mechanical diff lock and lowered PASM sports suspension. Rear-wheel steering, not available for the base 911, is a highly desirable option on the T, but hard to find as few original buyers specified it.
What did CAR say at the time?
I drove one in the wheel tracks of Vic Elford around the Monte Carlo rally routes and paired it with the GT3 Touring, a car used to obliterating its opposition. Things didn’t turn out as we expected: ‘What is a surprise is just how compelling a proposition the Carrera T is. On paper it’s a gimmicky special edition with the potential for very garish seatbelts. On the road it’s all you ever wanted of the boosted Carrera. The T’s accessible (the relatively modest power output and the turbos’ any-rev drive), packs a hugely satisfying chassis (with the right options) and feels genuinely special. The Porsche 911 has a new star in its line-up, and for once it’s at the accessible end.’
Can a grown-up endorse your enthusiasm?
Dan Baines of luxury car specialist TOP 555 is effus
