Porsche has announced the new 911 Carrera T: a 911 that is 20 kilograms lighter than the regular Carrera, has a bunch of sporty touches and is sold in a range of bright colours. T stands for Touring, but the car is built with lightweight glass, RS-style pull loops in the doors and a shorter final drive ratio: all hallmarks of a sports purpose machine. The T badging is curious.
The Carrera S (S for Sport) does not come as standard with a shorter final drive, seven speed manual or limited slip differential, while the Carrera T (T for Touring) has all of those things. Twenty-seven litres of fuel equates to twenty kilograms. One could theoretically short fill a Carrera by 27 litres and have a car weighing the same as a Carrera T on full tanks.
The Touring Carrera also comes with less sound deadening (?), no rear seats and an unladen weight of 1425 kilograms. It has a chassis lowered by 10mm (four tenths of an inch), Sport Chrono but without the dash clock (which everyone loves and is sort of the point of Sport Chrono), a gearknob with red shift pattern, something else and some other stuff.
It has a power-to-weight ratio of 260hp per tonne. This is supposed to be viewed as exciting, and it probably is. But I have a twenty year-old BMW M3 sedan with full sound deadening and rear seats (seat belts for five people) that is not a million miles away from this figure. One could get the weight down pretty easily and stick a rocket up the power-to-weight, but that would defeat the point.
Yesterday, I drove a 911R recreation/celebration by the boys at EB Motorsport. It weighs 804 kilograms with a single seat, skinny R wheels and tyres, fully oiled up with a quarter tank of fuel. The twin-plug, 2-litre engine makes 220 horsepower, which gives a power-to-weight ratio of 275 horsepower per tonne (more on this car later).
OK, the Carrera T is £86k and the EB 911R is at least £100k more than that, but if you’re going to market something as lightweight, then it should not weigh the same as 23 people (average adult weight globally is 62 kilograms). The average weight of a (female) cow is 720 kilograms, which is two Carrera Ts. A five-foot Steinway ‘City’ grand piano weighs 252 kilograms, which means that a 911 Carrera T with some fuel weighs roughly the same as six Steinway grand pianos.
“Improved power to weight ratio delivers enhanced performance,” says Stuttgart, and no doubt the 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds – one tenth quicker than the standard Carrera – is quicker than a baby grand, unless the piano is travelling downwards in a straight line towards the pavement. I also like the cool range of colours including Racing Yellow, Miami Blue and Lava Orange: difficult to choose between those three. But something is not right with this T badge.
Everyone knows that the volume sellers are where Porsche makes its money: Macan, Cayenne and Panamera. The 911 remains a desirable car, but are these editions serious, or are they just preening for press releases? The truth is that, these days, if you really want a lightweight Porsche – and trust me, you do – you have to build it yourself. For the £85k cost of a standard Carrera T, one could easily build a lightweight air-cooled 911 and have enough left over to buy a nice grand piano or two. Now that’s an idea I can get with.
The new 911 Carrera T is available to order now from Porsche Centres in the UK and Ireland priced from £85,576.00 RRP inc VAT. First deliveries begin in January 2018, at which point, journos will be freaking out over the transformative effect of the shorter final drive and claiming this as a credible alternative to a GT3 Touring.
News update: my 1976 911 has a shorter final drive, as does every 911 rally car ever. When the national speed limit of 70mph is being ever more rigorously enforced, it is not rocket science to shorten the final drive and have more fun getting to a lower top speed.
I would like to drive this T: I suspect it actually will be rather more invigorating than a standard Carrera. Group test pitch for GT Porsche magazine: my 1020-kilo 3-litre 911 versus six grand pianos with 370 horsepower. Simon will love it.
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
One of the rare RHD Porsche 964 RS Touring models has just sold for quite strong money at the Silverstone Auctions Porsche sale, creating an interesting data point for my Porsche-centric classic car insurance valuation service.
Everyone knows how the 964RS was the first 911 to sport the desirable RS designation. Like the 2.7 RS, the cars developed from racing and were available in two model specifications: Lightweight and Touring. Most 964RS models were Lightweights, with just a handful of RS Tourings being built.
I’ve come into contact with the RHD Tourings several times in the past through dealer clients and RS-owning friends. I value a couple for insurance, and it was one of my valuation customers who emailed me from the sale to let me know how things were going.
The RHD Porsche 964RS Touring just sold at auction was chassis number 491385. Built in early 1992, the spec included black paint with black trim, sports seats with the tri-colour inlays and a sunroof. The RS was sent to JCT Brooklands and – would you believe this – did not sell until September 1993. The consigning entrant was owner number five, who purchased the car from Josh Sadler at Autofarm in 2002.
There’s a bit of paperwork with the car, which presumably confirmed the declared mileage of just 51,000, albeit that confirmation is not mentioned. It had some mechanical work at 46k with my former clients JZM Porsche, who fitted an upgraded exhaust . The RS then had a thorough inspection at 51k miles, with full service, four new tyres and chassis alignment carried out by the guys at RPM Technik in Buckinghamshire.
“Early lots failed to hit their bottom estimate,” reported my source at the sale. “I think they over-egged the estimates, so some of the sellers might be disappointed. I was surprised at the [high] prices of the front-engined cars, though.
“The RS shot up to £185k very quickly, so it was obvious that many people had come specifically to bid on this 911. The pent-up demand released and then bidding began to slow down. It finished at £195,000 plus commission and VAT, which totals to £219,375.”
This tallies with what I was expecting the rare RS to achieve: not quite £200k, but not far away from it. I have updated my RS data accordingly – just goes to show what difference rarity with low mileage can make in what is currently a very slow market for ‘regular’ Porsche sales.
Pics from the Silverstone Auctions website
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
My friend Paul in that there Essex has decided to offer his Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera for sale. I know the car quite well and it is a great example of a modified 3.2 finished to a very strong level. This car is worth your attention if you’re in the market.
He’s just sent me a slightly ‘Friday night’ description, which I will attempt to decipher. Let us begin:
I bought this car over ten years ago with 75,000 miles on it. It came from a well known independent dealer and was my first 911. Straight after my purchase, I fell in with the impactbumpers.com crowd, which led to many road trips and track days all over Europe and the UK.
The most recent of these road trips was in September, to the Race de Remparts in Angouleme in south west France. The classic race weekend in the sunshine reminded me that there are still many classics to own and enjoy, so I have decided to offer the Carrera for sale and see whether it might find a new home.
I have developed and upgraded the car throughout my ownership, so it is now a superb example of an air-cooled Porsche 911 prepared for track days, fast road and touring use. It had a detailed restoration in 2012, when a highly respected Porsche bodyshop (Sportwagen in Great Wakering) took many monies from me and handed me back a beautiful car in near perfect condition.
The complete restoration was documented in detailed photographs. During the restoration, the sunroof, side repeaters, fog lights and headlamp washers were deleted, with the usual rust removal from the kidney bowls and other rust traps. The driver’s seat rails were removed and a lower set fitted to accommodate a taller driver. All rubber trim (except bumperettes) was replaced during the rebuild. We also fitted a new windscreen. All of the car is steel, save for the ducktail and Ruf 935 mirrors. It weighs in 1120 kilograms with a quarter of a tank of fuel.
Soon after purchase, the top end was rebuilt by Autowerke in Norwich at approx 76k miles. It now shows 122k miles and runs better than ever. It has a custom Steve Wong chip, stainless steel Cargraphic silencer with stainless steel Dansk heat exchangers and crossover pipe. I keep it well maintained and the engine power figures show just how strong this particular flat six is, with the most recent dyno run showing 278.5 bhp (LSV in Wellingborough).
Everyone who rides in this car comments on how quick it is. It revs freely to the 6.8k limit, and the low weight of less than 1100 kilograms means it can easily match more modern machinery on track. Being a 1987 model year 911, the transmission is the sought-after Getrag G50. I have fitted poly mounts for even slicker shifting and the clutch is less than 5k miles old.
Handling is super important to me, so the dampers have been upgraded to Bilstein Club Sport spec. Anti roll bar and rear arm bushes are poly, while the torsion bars and anti-roll bars themselves are stock. The car benefits from an expensive Centre of Gravity suspension setup and corner balance. It is fitted with a set of genuine 7 and 8 x 16″ Fuchs alloy wheels, with a set of replica 7″ and 9″ Fuchs with track tyres available as an option. Brakes are standard with upgraded pads. There is no issue with standard brakes and bars on a lightened 911.
The cabin is a nice place to be. I went for a mix of light weight while retaining some comfort for touring, so it has Recaro SPG XL race seats, custom trimmed in leather and Pascha. There is also a rear seat delete and Club Sport carpet setup, but you could reinstate rear seats for kids if you needed to. RS style door cards, a Momo 07 steering wheel and genuine Cocomats add to the ambience. It has an AVO bluetooth stereo, and the main fuseboard has been replaced with a Classic Retrofit blade fuse board incorporating upgraded headlamp relays.
Most of the original lead weight soundproofing has been removed and replaced with Dynamat. The car makes a noise, but in a very good way. Earplugs are not required for long drives! It has a full MOT, immobiliser, loads of paperwork and is ready to go.
I may end up with the car here at mine for viewings and inspections, but there is no room for the minute. Interested parties may contact me and I will put you in touch directly. It will also be up for sale on my Porsche 911 forum at impactbumpers.com and on a few other platforms.
Considering the money invested and recent sales of similarly modified cars, this one is priced at £49,995 for a quick sale – the body restoration alone was a £25k bill so there is value here. Consistently impressive dyno results over the last ten years suggest there is more to this engine than a standard 3.2. Serious buyers are welcome to arrange a pre-purchase inspection.
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
Stuttgart loves a special edition and another Macan has just joined the list: the Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition. The styling reminds me of a Volkswagen Polo ‘Beats’ Edition, but that is not a bad thing: everyone knows the VW Polo is one of the best cars in the world. Even Alois Ruf agrees with me on that.
Based on the current Macan Turbo with Performance Package, the 3.6-litre Turbo produces 440 horsepower. Porsche sticks a lot of extras on the standard model and carries the changes out at the ‘Exclusive Manufactur’ department in Leipzig, so the base price corresponds to that: £86k including VAT in the UK. Adding colour-to-sample paint and the other options could quickly take it to over £100k – a ton of cash for a mid size SUV.
Standard equipment includes 21-inch 911 Turbo Design wheels with lateral spokes painted in Black (high-gloss), LED headlights and tinted LED rear lights. The front seats, rear seating and steering wheel are heated as standard.
Custom Exclusive parts created specifically for this Macan include aero add-ons on the front spoiler, rear apron and side blades painted in Carmine Red. The Macan Turbo model designation on the tailgate is also painted in Carmine Red underneath PORSCHE lettering in high-gloss black.
Inside, there are more black and red accents through the black leather interior with Alcantara elements. The Garnet Red bolsters for the front seats are bespoke for this car. The colour is used also for the contrasting stitching, embroidered Turbo script on the headrests, seat belts, Sport Chrono stopwatch bezel and the vehicle key wallet.
The aluminium PDK gear selector is finished with Garnet Red leather in Garnet Red, and a “Macan Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition” logo has been added to the customised door entry trim strips and the dashboard trim. Well done Leipzig for fitting that into one plaque.
Porsche Macan Used Prices UK
A £90k soft-roader is obviously never going to have a place in my life but the colour to sample in Voodoo Blue looks pretty cool. I keep looking at Macans and wondering when they will get affordable as secondhand buys – not sure that day is coming any time soon. Of the 310 Macans on Pistonheads, the cheapest is a fairly boring 2014 2-litre PDK model with 15k miles up for £37k. Next cheapest car is an 82k-mile diesel for the same money.
Official Porsche Centres offer decent spec TDI PDKs with metallic paint, sensible mileage and the worth-having used Porsche warranty from £41k and that might be the best place to start looking. An independent petrol offering at £38k struggles to compete with that package.
I value a few high mileage 3.2 Carreras for Porsche agreed insurance valuation purposes, but none of them come close to the mileage amassed by this beautiful 3.2 with Freisinger restoration which has covered an incredible 680,000 kilometres from new.
I have to say I was a little disappointed by this, as it is not quite enough to go to the moon and back and not quite the million kilometres first believed when it arrived in the workshop for an engine and gearbox refresh. It is still incredible, of course, but a few more weeks clocking up mega miles would have made it really amazing. I’m no 3.2 fan but this car has really fired up my romantic streak – I just love it as a real piece of ownership history. So I was a good choice to write the sales text.
The lion’s share of this mileage was logged by its first owner: a German industrialist who had businesses throughout southern Europe. In 1986, the owner walked into his local Porsche dealership, specced up a Cassis Red coupe with sunroof delete and factory aircon (no point having a sunroof when you clock up hundreds of thousands of Autobahn kms at top speed). Once the car was delivered, he proceeded to run his businesses from the driver’s seat of the Carrera, putting 10-15k kms on the car every four to six weeks, with a full dealer service every couple of months.
As the miles wound on, the Carrera wrapped itself into shape around the driver. Like all great 911s, driving was almost no effort, so more than six hundred thousand kilometres were put on the Porsche before the decision was taken to change it – not to mention the rise of the fax machine and invention of the Internet making big miles slightly irrelevant.
Nowadays, the notion that someone would buy a car and drive 422,000 miles in it is simply unthinkable. Those days have well and truly disappeared. Notwithstanding the months it would take to accomplish this feat in an age of time poverty, the cost in fuel and maintenance would be hundreds of thousands of pounds. But cars like this prove just how the original Porsche sports cars were designed to last. Built by craftsmen from the best parts proven through several evolutions of one bodystyle, it was not unusual for cars to clock up fabulous mileages, helping their owners build empires. Having been under many newer Porsches with reasonable mileages, I’m not so sure that a modern Porsche would make it this far quite so easily.
Anyway, the Carrera’s mileage continued to increase, until one day, the car was replaced by a newer one. At that stage, the owner turned to childhood friend and rare Porsche parts guru, Manfred Freisinger, for some advice on restoration. And that’s where this car’s story gets really interesting.
Just as there are many types of car, there are many types of car restorations. At the lowest end is a quick blow-over in a back-street bodyshop and some folks believe that a factory restoration is the creme de la creme. But the finest attention to restoration detail is guaranteed by using knowledgable specialists like Freisinger or the legends at Ruf. You need deep pockets to send your cars to these boys: I hear a Freisinger restoration starts at €150k for a standard G-model 911 like this and Marcel Ruf told me that any serious SWB Ruf restoration project starts at €300k.
Previous restorations carried out at Freisinger list like a Porsche who’s who: 904s, 906s, 908s and 917s galore with a sprinkling of 962s in there, too. Countless 2.7 Carrera RS Tourings and Lightweights, 934s and four-cam 356s and one high mileage Cassis Red 3.2. When it comes to road car restoration, Freisinger does not take off, make good and refit: the team simply replaces everything with brand new parts. On this car, the list included brand new Fuchs wheels and brand new pinstripe sports trim from a 3.2 Club Sport, a complete set of suspension and brakes and many more bits and pieces.
The entire restoration was documented in a detailed photographic record. Freisinger also converted the car to 3.4-litres using a factory cylinder kit. The engine and transmission were recently rebuilt and both are now in as-new condition. The car has completed 300 running-in miles with 700 more to go and it is a wonderful example of how good classic Porsche can be.
Proper high-mileage Porsches rarely come to market. Cherished by their devoted custodians and handed down as heirlooms, they tend to stay in the family. This rare piece of Porsche motoring history has been fully rebuilt at great expense and is well worth a look. Priced at €79,000, perhaps it only makes sense if you’re a romantic like me – being part of this story would be an experience.
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
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