I’ve driven the Porsche 911 Carrera T – it’s a collection of all the best options & the result is sports car perfection

THERE are certain questions in life which are almost impossible to answer.

No1: Which is your favourite child? No2: Is there life after death? No3: Who decided it was a good idea to eat sprouts at Christmas?

The 911 Carrera T is the lightest 911 of the lot and has all the good stuff I’d want thrown in as standard

SuppliedThis car is distinguished by special grey detailing – the interior is pure class[/caption]

SuppliedRev-matching on the downshift in Sport Plus mode had me grinning like an idiot[/caption]

But here’s a question which is even harder than all of those three put together. Which is the best Porsche 911?

The temptation is to say the Turbo S because it’s the fastest and most powerful of all.

Or the GT3 RS, which is a bonkers road-legal track car with a huge rear wing.

But hang on, it’s a sunny day, what about a topless Targa? Or the one that does ­everything beautifully, on road and track, the GTS?

After years of scratching my head, I now know my favourite 911 and it’s actually a bit of a ­bargain.

The 911 Carrera T is the lightest 911 of the lot and has all the good stuff I’d want thrown in as standard.

Let’s run through the kit list. Seven-speed manual gearbox with shortened gear stick, tick.

PASM lowered sports ­suspension, tick. Sport Chrono package, tick.
Sports exhaust, rear diff lock, bigger wheels (20in at front, 21in at back) and reduced insulation, tick, tick, tick, tick.

The 911 Carrera T is 35kg lighter than a 911 Carrera with PDK auto at 1,470kg – and you can feel that lightness the moment you point it at a twisty mountain road and get stuck in.

It’s like a badly-behaved ­ballerina. All noise and power. Yet beautifully balanced. And it changes direction almost by the power of thought alone.

Rev-matching on the downshift in Sport Plus mode had me grinning like an idiot. Donuts are E A S and Y. Much of the lightness is down to the manual gearbox of course but Porsche also fitted lightweight glass and a lightweight battery – and deleted the rear seats.

You can ask for the seats to be put back in should you really need them.

Other observations. The 911 T uses the same 385hp six-cylinder boxer engine as the entry-level 911. That’s all it needs. Power-to-weight is king in a sports car and this is usable power, not Top Trumps.

Also, T stands for touring.

Now we come to price. I said it was a bit of a bargain at £98,500 and I meant it. For a 911 S with the same kit you’re looking at £107k, although it does have a more powerful engine.

As for looks, it’s a 911 innit? Enough said. One of the most beautiful shapes ever.

But this car is distinguished by special grey detailing – including a grey top tint on the windscreen and logos on the doors. The interior is pure class.

If I had the money, I’d have one in a heartbeat. Actually, maybe I’d wait. The 911 Dakar is coming soon and that sounds the nuts.

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