Test Car Specifications
Model: 2024 Porsche 911 (992.2) Carrera T Cabriolet
Price: 911 Cabriolet from £109,800, Carrera T Cabriolet from £121,300
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power: 394hp
Torque: 450Nm
Emissions: 244-250g/km
Economy: 25.7-26.4mpg
0-62mph: 4.7 seconds
Top speed: 182mph
Boot space: 135 litres
Styling
The 911 Cabriolet still looks a bit awkward, what with that hunchback thing going on behind the back seats, but the Carrera T fights back with a few little garnishes to up the sporting pretensions. For starters, the car gets Carrera S light alloy wheels that measure 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear, while the lip spoiler is taken from the more powerful GTS models. There are grey badges on the back and grey inlays on the rear lid grille and the exterior mirrors, too, while the wheels are also finished in the same shade of grey. And while that won't be for everyone, it does at least give the Carrera T a bit of a lift compared with the standard Carrera Cabriolet.
Interior
Porsche hasn't made quite as many changes to the Carrera T's interior as it has to the exterior, but there are still some notable upgrades. The manual gearbox motif on the back windows is mirrored on the dashboard, and you get the same grey garnish as seen on the car's exterior. But otherwise it's just the same as a standard 992.2 Carrera Cabriolet. You get the same digital instrument cluster, the same touchscreen and the same brilliant build quality.
The big difference, however, is the arrival of the manual gear lever. Designed to be short and stubby, it's fitted with a laminated wooden gear knob and decorated with a painted shift pattern on the top. It looks awesome, and it feels almost as good in your palm, while the action is as fantastically mechanical as you expect from a driver-orientated 911.
Practicality
While small differences are evident in the Carrera T, there is no difference in the space available when compared with the standard Carrera Cabriolet. Yes, the lack of a roof means there's technically infinite headroom, and that does theoretically make the back seats more commodious, but limited legroom means it's still unfair to put anyone back there. It's much better to use the back as a parcel shelf, supplementing the 135-litre storage tub under the bonnet. Do that, and you can easily pack the Porsche for a week away for two people, but the golf clubs might have to stay at home.
Performance
Although the Carrera T is undoubtedly intended to be a sporty 911, it has exactly the same engine as the standard Carrera, so you get a 3.0-litre flat-six petrol engine with a turbocharger. That produces 394hp, which heads to the rear wheels, but instead of going via the standard automatic gearbox, the Carrera T has a lighter six-speed manual transmission.
That means the 'T' is more involving, but it's no faster in a straight line. In fact, the Carrera T's 0-62mph time is around half a second slower than that of the automatic, simply because no matter how good Porsche's test drivers may be, they can't change as quickly as a twin-clutch auto 'box.
Acceleration isn't going to win the 'T' any prizes, then, but the noise just might. With a sports exhaust as standard, the 'T' offers an even more brutal and visceral engine note than the standard car, and you can hear its snarl more clearly thanks to the lack of soundproofing and the lightened glass. As with the manual gearbox, the Carrera T is all about the unquantifiable improvements, rather than the Top Trumps stats.
Ride & Handling
With a focus on feel, feedback and handling, the Carrera T has plenty of suspension upgrades designed to make you feel closer to the driving experience. The suspension is lowered by 10mm compared with the standard Carrera, and it has its own stiffness settings for maximum body control and tyre contact. Oh, and the steering has been altered to make it more direct, while simultaneously adding rear-wheel steering for extra manoeuvrability.
In short, it's quite a different animal, and it feels different. There's more feedback, more of a sense that you're a fundamental part of the machine, and more sense that it's all on you. Even though it patently isn't. Yet with such immediacy to the steering, such a mechanical feel from the gearbox and so much balance from the rear-drive, rear-engined layout, it's a really intuitive, engaging thing to drive. And it's enormously good fun.
But all that comes with a catch. The suspension is firm to the point of being too firm, and you certainly won't want to pootle around town too much. The big wheels thump into bumps and the shockwaves are transmitted directly to your backside, which makes life unpleasant, to say the least. Things are a bit better at higher speeds, but the feedback that's so brilliant on a winding country road becomes the bane of your existence elsewhere, with cat's eyes and even white lines sending a jolt through the car.
Value
At £121,300, the Carrera T Cabriolet is £10,000 more expensive than the Carrera T Coupe, and it's £11,500 more expensive than a Carrera Cabriolet. Which makes it quite expensive if all you're after is a manual gearbox. Especially as you don't get much more standard equipment than the Carrera Cabriolet, aside from the gear lever and the Sport Chrono Package. However, the Carrera T gets all the bespoke 'T' external upgrades as standard, which sets it apart a bit, and despite the lightweight pretensions, you still get the digital instrument display, reversing camera and climate control as standard, along with leather seats.
Verdict
It’s quite difficult to justify the Carrera T on paper, but when you get behind the wheel it becomes a little easier. Maybe a hard-top Carrera T will offer a better lap time, but the convertible is still great fun on a country road, and that manual gearbox is a joy. For most, the basic Carrera Cabriolet will provide better value for money – it’s 95 percent of the car for 90 percent of the price – but the Carrera T Cabriolet is awesome too. And just because we can’t necessarily recommend it doesn’t mean we don’t desperately want one.
