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Choosing to spec your new car without radio incentive, leaving a big, empty hole in the middle of the dash, must feel a bit scary.
These days, it's akin to turning your phone off.
No, no actually it's more like choosing to live somewhere with no phone signal.
In the same way it can feel liberating and rather relaxing to go off grid.
So the clarity of mind and singularity of purpose instilled by a car with no entertainment.
Can be wonderful.
This is the Carrera T and it's all about the drive.
So what is the 911 Carrera T?
Well, it's Porsche's attempt to bring a driver's 911 to more people.
So while a GT3 or a 911 [UNKNOWN] be out of reach for whatever reason.
This, well, it's a curious mix of up specing and down specing.
It's based on a standard Carrera but it's got all the bits and pieces that probably would only make sense to you if you really want to proper drive this 911.
So you've got things like limp [UNKNOWN] from the [UNKNOWN] sports suspension.
Which is 20 mm lower.
That you normally can't expect on a Carrera, you can expect it on a Carrera S. This gets us sports exhaust as standard.
You get basic seats.
You get no rear seats at all.
As we've mentioned, no sat nav, no radio, if that's what you want.
Lightweight rear glass and these lightweight door trips as well.
It all adds up to a car that's very focused.
So what's it like to drive?
Well, certain things you notice as soon as you get in, the shorter, sort of stubby gear lever and since the last time I drove a manual 911 with a center speed box, the box is much more precise, much heavier and it's waiting, which just makes it easier to control around that slightly curious Sort of reverse [INAUDIBLE].
This certainly helps.
Can you tell this is a more lightweight car?
No, to be honest, I mean it saves about 20 kilos and the car overall weights 1500 kilos.
So I think your name would have to be [INAUDIBLE] to send such subtle shifts in your driving universe.
But with the extra noise.
There was a change in the character of the car and, I just like the fact that it has light weight glass and that's just cool.
You don't have to be able to feel something to know it's there and feel better about the car as a result.
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We could have driven this in the south of France, But I don't think this is a car just for high days and holidays.
The T is for all weathers and all roads and all days.
It should be opposite of a garage queen, it should be used all the time as doing fun into every journey.
This car and the sort of person that buys it will want to take the long way to get some nails.
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A spot of food, a hammer for the nails, some replacement food for the meal you left in the oven.
And there won't be any worrying about the extra mileage.
You need a sign to pop into town via the coast a couple of hours away, that's fine.
The time behind the wheel will be relished And while something like a [UNKNOWN] is the mad friend that you go out with once a year for shots on a Friday night [UNKNOWN] wake up the following Tuesday, the more sane T should be your best friend.
The one you don't have to make a special effort for, but which you do anyway.
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Some people [INAUDIBLE] this really is a. A top price due to three or [UNKNOWN] is I don't know, it's not, it can't be, it's not part of the GT cars department.
So it hasn't got that magic and still just a well specs [UNKNOWN] for being honest.
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GT3.
Having said that, this engine Is pretty incredible.
I know it's turbo-charged, but this standard 3 liter with 365 horsepower and 332 pounds, [UNKNOWN].
And it really does like to rev, it's incredibly quick for a standard Carrera engine.
This is good.
It's very, very impressive this 3 liter engine.
This car, which is obviously left-hand drive [INAUDIBLE] has come equipped with winter tires, which is just as well really because it is chaffing cold and, well winter.
I'm sure engineers hate their cars going into, Winter tires because they obviously want optimum grip but I actually rather like it precisely for the reason that these tread blocks and sites actually move around more so you can actually feel dynamic balance in the car at lower speeds.
That's just a very nice thing, particularly in the drivers car.
It's interesting driving the Carrera again.
When I first drove one of these, I thought it was probably the least 911-like 911 I've ever driven, and I stand by that.
The turning is just extraordinary.
However, having spent quite a lot of time in a Cayman recently, there's no doubting that you can still feel all the 911 things underneath this car.
You still have to work with that rear engine Rear bias [UNKNOWN] balance.
You can't drive it like a [UNKNOWN] still.
It's still a 911.
So what should we conclude about the [UNKNOWN]?
Well, I like what it stands for.
I like the face that Porsche is continuing to recognize the fact that it produces driver's cars.
And it should produce cars for drivers.
We've obviously had the [UNKNOWN], the 911.
And the fact they brought the manual gearbox back into the GT3 for the second generation of the 991, and now we've got this.
My challenge to them though would be that I want this car, but at an even lower price point.
So a lot of the options on this no-cost delete, so things like, [UNKNOWN] radio, rear seat.
Seats you could have them at no extra cost.
And that is reflected in the price and therefore this is 85000 Pounds or it's getting on to 10000 Pounds more than a very basic Corolla.
What I would like to see is a car that's costs less than a car in basic Corolla putting it immediately more [UNKNOWN].
What make this.
Absolutely standard, so you cannot spec SAT [INAUDIBLE] radio, you cannot spec rear seats.
You perhaps get limited depth, but you get smaller wheels.
You get a car that is just essence of 911.
It's not for cruising down the King's Road.
It's not gonna make you, perhaps curse at you as you might expect.
But if you are a driver and you just want a 911.
[INAUDIBLE]
Then it brings it tantalizingly perhaps a little bit closer in terms of price.
So that's my challenge to you Porsche.
Bring that car out.
That's what I want to see.
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