The automaker is resurrecting its lightweight stickshift-only 911 Carrera—and leaning heavily on the cachet of its transmission
The 2025 version maintains a similar focus on weight reduction, the 992.2 version of the T jettisoning substantial weight — 42 kilograms (92 pounds) according to Porsche’s press release, or 38 kilos (84 lbs) according to my calculator — in the form of thinner, lighter cabin glass, a bunch less sound insulation, and whatever weight reduction a six-speed manual engenders compared with an eight-speed PDK.
Yes, the T is resolutely manual, as in the stick is the only transmission available. A few things to note about the stickshift. First, of course, is that this decision will thrill purists who view the demise of manual gear selection as a crime against their desire to shift cogs without electronic interference (though it must be said that Porsche’s six-speed, like so many modern manuals, automatically “blips” the throttle, obviating the need for the driver to learn heal-and-toe downshifting).
The other is that selecting the gear yourself will be slower than letting a computer do it for you. Porsche officially rates the new 911 T for a 4.5-second sprint to 100 kilometres an hour from zero, almost half-a-second slower than the automated version. Top speed, in case you’re planning of running at Daytona, is 295 kilometres an hour (183 mph), one klick up on the standard Carrera, presumably because of those 40 or so jettisoned kilograms.
It might be worth mentioning at this point that Porsche is not at all shy about trumpeting the T’s manual transmission status. There’s a sticker of the shift pattern on each of the triangular rear windows helping one and all, in Porsche’s words, recognize it as a “particularly purist representative of the model line” (it also might serve as a Millennial theft-prevention device).
Meanwhile, inside the shift knob is open-core walnut; the centre console is badged “MT”; and just in case the passenger doesn’t recognize the strange appendage sticking out of the transmission tunnel, the shift pattern is printed on their side of the dashboard.
And, if that isn’t enough, there’s an optional “puddle” light — the little bit of patterned illumination beamed down to the ground when you open the door — that, you guessed it, projects the stickshift’s H-pattern on the tarmac at your feet. Overcompensation, you say? Not nearly when you’re trying to enlighten the unwashed on the benefits of manual transmissions.
The rest of the car, on the other hand, is pretty much the same as the standard Carrera. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo boxer six pumps out 388 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The Sport Chrono Package, which features the Track Precision app, is also standard equipment on the T.
Porsche’s PASM adaptive suspension also makes an appearance, albeit lowered 10 millimetres, and benefits from firmer damping; it runs on 20- and 21-inch Carrera S light alloy wheels, with 245/35 ZR20s in the front and 305/30 ZR21s in the rear. This latest 911 also retains rear-axle steering, but with calibration specific to the T.
When it arrives next summer, the 2025 911 Carrera T will cost $149,200. In a first, the T will also be available as a Cabriolet, which will set you back $165,300. It, too, will be available in the summer of 2025, and, of course, will only be available with a manual gearbox.
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