Speed is a drug, and our tolerance levels are killing us. Twenty years ago, a 400-horsepower car was atop the heap. At that level, you met adversaries like the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the BMW M5, and the 911 Turbo. Today, most of those cars are pushing 600 and 700 hp, which leaves the actual driving enthusiast in a bind.
If you like the feeling of pushing a car's tires as far as they will go, but dislike the feelings of, say, going to prison, the modern market offers you few options. Thankfully, Porsche still has a car that allows you to push its limits without starting down death itself. That car is the Porsche 911 T, and it is perfect.
| Quick Specs | 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T |
| Engine | Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-Liter Flat-Six |
| Output | 388 Horsepower / 331 Pound-Feet |
| Transmission | Six-Speed Manual |
| 0-60 MPH | 4.3 Seconds (Coupe) / 4.5 Seconds (Cabriolet) |
| Base Price / As Tested | $135,995 (Coupe) / $149,295 (Cabriolet) |
Of course, there are other options. The Mazda Miata, Honda Civic Type R, and Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ twins are nearly perfect dynamically, beyond reproach by me as a driver. I couldn't tell you what I'd change to make any of them more engaging. But there's a part of me—and many others, I suspect—that wants something more grown up, better suited to grand touring than just track-rat silliness.
The 911 Carrera T is the epitome. It connects the 388-hp, standard powertrain of the 911 Carrera with a host of light-weighting changes, along with goodies like a mechanical limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and rear-wheel steering. The only transmission available is a six-speed manual.
The gearbox replaces the clunkier seven-speed of the previous 911 Carreras, with identical ratios sans the seventh-gear overdrive. Its throws are shorter and more precise, with a lower-mounted gear knob trimmed in open-pore walnut. There are stickers on both quarter windows showcasing its manual gear pattern, along with a dedicated "MT" badge under the shifter.
Porsche is laying it on too thick here. I understand the company’s desire to anoint the T as some sort of ambassador for “Save The Manuals,” but offering a PDK isn’t the worst thing. The previous T had a 70 percent manual take rate, and while that’s extraordinarily high, the T is a lovely daily driver, and a PDK option would only broaden the appeal.
Pros: Incredible To Drive, Comfortable Enough To Daily, Perfect Amount Of Power For The Road
Don’t think Porsche is too purist for that, either. The company has some enthusiast anathema to the T lineup. It is now offered as a… gulp… Cabriolet. The humanity. Enthusiasts often criticize Cabriolets for having more weight and compromised dynamics, but real driving is more fun with the top down. And I’d happily accept the extra 200 pounds.
I sampled the 911 Carrera T Cabriolet on a rainy morning in North Georgia, and I couldn’t have picked a better situation. Because while we all daydream of the sort of perfect-weather Spanish backroads you see in magazines, real worlds have weather and other drivers. And in the real world, a Carrera T is a sweeter treat than any rocketship with 1,000 hp and a traction control system that had to get its own Ph.D.
Even on slick roads and with the drive mode set to “Wet,” the T was an absolute charmer. Keep your speed above 30 miles per hour and you can drive in the rain without getting wet, so that’s what I did, soaking in the thrum of the twin-turbo flat-six.
I savored every gear change, thanks to the T’s forgiving clutch, precise shifter, and (defeatable) automatic rev-matching. When we got stuck behind dawdling drivers and delivery trucks, I cruised in Normal mode and enjoyed the talkative steering, the rushing wind, and the smooth power. Even feeling about the edges in the wet, I wasn’t afraid, because the T isn’t some barely-restrained beast.
Cons: Still Ludicrously Expensive, Cabriolet Looks Dumpy
The Carrera T gets to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds for the coupe, two ticks slower for the cab. It’s unimpressive on paper, but out on real roads, 331 pound-feet of torque and an engine that wants to be wrung out is a recipe for repeatable fun.
It’s amazing how we’ve lost sight of that last point: The fun. Fun involves emotion, skill, and a bit of stakes. Modern supercars provide stakes in spades. Come to a corner with 700 hp and you best come correct. But to prevent amateur drivers from killing themselves, they are sanitized and perfected via arcane algorithms, which take the skill and emotion out of the experience.
The 911 T foregoes bragging rights and focuses instead on what really matters. The engine is delightful and characterful. The chassis is unassailable, with friendly, patient dynamics and clear communication about what’s happening underneath you. The gearbox is perfect.
So there is only one problem, and if you’ve read a Porsche review you may expect the coming gut-punch. Because despite its position as a base-powertrain 911, the T is still a Porsche 911. That means the price will horrify you. It starts at $135,995 for the coupe and $149,295 for the convertible. The coupe starts at about $10,000 higher than the last one, albeit with rear-wheel steering now included. The Cabriolet is new, and for now, the only way to get a manual 911 convertible.
But this is the real gut punch: It’s worth it. I am as disappointed by the lack of attainable enthusiast options as anyone else, and so I’d love to tell you that a 911 T is another irrelevant plaything with a price it can’t justify. Yet I’ve never met a car that feels more perfect for the way enthusiasts actually drive.
It is comfortable and spacious enough to daily drive, with enough sound deadening removed that you can hear the engine without dealing with a Miata-level drone on the freeway. It is attractive to look at. It is incredible to drive.
Most of all, it is the cure for our addiction to horsepower. That all-encompassing terror you get going from 0-60 in a 700-hp car lasts for about 2.9 seconds. A back-road in a 911 Carrera T is something you’ll enjoy forever.
Competitors
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T
