Not everyone will understand this Porsche

Before you even climb aboard the latest Porsche 911 Carrera T tells you what it’s all about. As you open the door, projected onto the ground is a logo proudly telling the world that this car is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The same logo is on a sticker adhered to the rear quarter window and inside our test car the gear shifter sits proudly in the centre of the cabin capped by a smooth Walnut knob.

As we’ve written before, with our Dakar and GT3 RS reviews, with the 992-generation of the 911 Porsche has made each of its many variants more specialised. The GT3 RS is for track day regulars, the Turbo is for those who want the ultimate power and the new T is for those who are valiantly fighting the good fight to ‘save the manual’ transmission.

That is really the key selling point for the 911 T, it has the same 3.0-litre six-cylinder, twin-turbo boxer engine as the 911 Carrera and Carrera S, there’s no all-wheel drive like the Carrera 4 and no dramatic aerodynamics like the GT3.

Just the standard engine, rear-wheel drive and three pedals to manage six forward gear ratios.

That is the one unique element of the 911 T, and it’s the only way you can get it now with Porsche discontinuing the previously optional PDK version we tested in 2023. And, sadly, the stunning 911 S/T was a very limited manual-equipped special.

This one is for the purists, the driving enthusiasts who prefer to shift gears themselves. Sure, it may not be as quick as Porsche state-of-the-art eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but it’s more fun – or at least that’s the theory.

Obviously any Porsche 911, regardless of gearbox type, is going to be fun, but being in the fortunate position to have driven the majority of the current range, I can attest that the 911 T does indeed bring a unique appeal. Even the 911 GT3 has ditched the manual gearbox in the search for more performance, but sometimes the fastest shift isn’t necessarily better.

Of course there’s nothing ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ about the PDK-equipped 911, in fact the dual-clutch option offers a more relaxed day-to-day driving experience, but for those who have a sports car for the driving enjoyment and want the most engaging experience a manual just feels right.

The shifts are direct and the action has a nice, crisp mechanical feel and the ratios are nicely spaced to take advantage of the changes to the engine.

The 911 T gets a minor tweak for this 992.2 facelift, with 290kW of power (up from 283kW) and 450Nm of torque (unchanged). However, the engine has some key technical changes including new turbochargers (the same used in the previous 911 GTS), a new charge air cooler (from the previous 911 Turbo and the charge air cooler has been repositioned for clearer intake into the engine.

Having recently spent an extended road trip across California in the ‘entry-level’ 911 Carrera, the 911 T is another reminder that you don’t need to go for the fancier, more expensive members of the range to get an amazing driving experience. Beyond the gearbox, the 911 T offers a balance of performance and handling that few other sports cars can match.

The 911 T is equipped with Porsche Torque Vectoring and it all works together with a chassis that has been fine-tuned with more than 70 years of experience.

And, of course, it stops with power too, thanks to big 350mm front brake rotors clamped by six-piston calipers.

It even sounds better than your average 911 too, thanks to the sports exhaust being a standard fit item.

Put simply, if you ever get tired of driving the 911 T on a winding road you may want to consult a doctor because it’s possible you’re lost your mind.

Not that this is the 911 for everyone, but that’s why (like I said earlier) this current range is so diverse and so specific in each model. There really is a 911 for everyone (with enough money) and the 911 T is for those who enjoy the purity of driving and that dying art of changing gears yourself.