Porsche 911 Carrera T first drive: Simplify, then add the right options
Enlarge / Lighter and less powerful, the 911 T benefits from some desirable options that aren't available on other 911s. (credit: Tim Stevens)
Porsche provided a flight from Albany to Los Angeles and back, plus a four in a hotel. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
Getting bigger and heavier as you age is something that many of us can relate to. Even the sportiest of cars is not immune to this unfortunate expansion. The Porsche 911 weighed just 2,400 lbs (1,089 kg) when new in the early 1960s and was only 165 inches (4,191 mm) long. Since then, it has grown by over a foot (300 mm) and has packed on over 800 pounds (363 kg).
Mind you, the 911 is still a stellar car, sublime really, but that expanded girth has changed the Carrera from a proper sports car to something that sits on the sporty side of a comfortable touring machine. Now, though, with the return of the Carrera T, the 911 is going back to its roots-again. After spending a lovely evening carving canyons in California, I'm happy to say that the result is remarkable.
As 911s go, this one is aimed squarely at driving enthusiasts. (credit: Tim Stevens)
The T in Carrera T actually stands for "touring," but that's a bit of a misnomer. Here it's a designation for a lighter-weight, edgier, more engaging flavor of Carrera. The first Carrera T premiered way back in 1968, a simpler 911 that most famously conquered the Monte Carlo Rally at the hands of Vic Elford.