2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T Debuts As A Lighter, Leaner 911 Built For Purists

Oct. 18, 2022 6:03 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Reveal / 10 Comments

A pure sports car experience without the fluff.

Want a brand-new Porsche 911 GT3? Prepare to wait a year or pay a six-figure dealer markup.

But if you're a more sensible buyer who realizes that it takes Max Verstappen-level skill to coax the most out of a GT3, there's a new 911 that offers a purer driving experience without the fluff. Say hello to the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T, a lighter Touring model based on the entry-level Carrera.

Returning from the 991 generation, the 992 Carrera T includes all the goodies necessary for driving pleasure and performance but not supercar-level power. It uses the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six as the Carrera, delivering an identical 379 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque.

Power goes to the rear wheels through a standard seven-speed manual transmission or a no-cost eight-speed PDK dual-clutch.

Porsche says the Carrera T hits 60 mph in 4.3 seconds with the manual or 3.8 seconds with the PDK. Depending on the configuration, those times aren't far off the high-performance Carrera GTS. Regardless of the transmission, the car will reach a 181 mph top speed.

It may not have more power than a standard Carrera, but the Carrera T is 100 pounds lighter (3,254 lbs total) when equipped with the PDK. Porsche cut out a significant amount of weight by deleting the rear seats, though customers can add it back at no additional charge if they plan to take the kids to school. Other weight-saving measures include less sound deadening, thinner window glass, and a smaller battery.

Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) Sport Suspension comes standard, dropping the ride height by 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) compared to the standard Carrera.

The T also gets some equipment from the Carrera S that isn't available on the base Carrera model, including a mechanical limited-slip differential with Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), the Sport Chrono Package, and rear-axle steering.

Visually, the T stands out from a standard Carrera thanks to Titanium Grey Carrera S wheels that are 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. Special grey accents complete the darker exterior theme, as does the Sport Exhaust System with black tips.

Standard colors include black, white, Guards Red, and Racing Yellow, plus optional metallic choices such as Jet Black, Gentian Blue, Ice Grey, and GT Silver. Porsche will offer Chalk, Ruby Star Neo, Carmine Red, Shark Blue, and Python Green as specialty colors. The Paint to Sample option is also available to the Carrera T, adding 110 new hues.

Inside, the Carrera T keeps it simple with standard four-way adjustable Sort Seats Plus, though customers can also order 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats Plus or Full Bucket Seats from the GT3.

Black interior trim is the default, but an available Carrera T Interior Package adds Slate Grey or Lizard Green seatbelts, matching seat stripes and floor mats, decorative stitching, and 911 logos on the headrests. Though the goal of the Carrera T is to be lightweight, Porsche will allow customers to add heavier leather back into the cabin.

Pricing for the 911 Carrera T starts at $116,600 (plus a $1,450 delivery, processing, and handling fee). That's $10,500 more than a base 911 Carrera but $6,400 less than a Carrera S.

Deliveries begin in Spring 2023.