For stick-shift 911 fans, it’s the automatic choice.
Perusing the 2025 Porsche 911 model line is a bit like trying to choose toothpaste from the bewildering selection in the supermarket aisle. There are so many kinds, each promising one advantage or another. You can wrack your brain trying to decide which is just right for you.
Fortunately, Porsche does a bit better than toothpaste makers at delineating its many different 911 variants. For driving purists who prefer to shift their own gears, the choice is made for you: the Carrera T is the 911 Carrera model for 2025. Just to make things a little difficult, though, Porsche now also offers the Carrera T as a Cabriolet, so you’ll need to ponder that choice.
The 2025 911 Carrera T coupe starts at $136,000 and $149,000 for the Cabriolet. That’s before options and getting a paint color aside from black, white, gray or silver.
A Letter Rooted in 911 History
Setting the Wayback Machine to the early 1970s, your choices for a new Porsche 911 included three versions: the T, E, and S. The T was the entry model, the E was the middle child, and the S was the top performer.
In 1972, all three 911 models got the new 2.4-liter version of the flat six, but with different compression ratios and camshafts to give different outputs. The T offered 157 horsepower, the E had 185 and the S had 210. The T was the lightest, but only because it had the least standard equipment. Even anti-roll bars for the suspension were optional (but pretty much needed.)
At just under eight grand in 1972, the 911 T was the least expensive way to experience Porsche’s seminal sports car. For 2018, the automaker revived the T not as an entry model, but as a Carrera performance upgrade aimed at driving purists. It was lighter (though not super light) and had specific suspension tuning, plus items like PASM Sport Suspension and the Sport Exhaust to justify the $11,000 hike over the standard Carrera.
Shifty Business
That was then. Seven years later, there are some major evolutionary changes to the T. Firstly, of course, this is a 992.2 series model, the latest generation 911. The T slots in between the standard Carrera and the GTS. The Carrera T uses the same engine as the standard Carrera, a twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat six cooking up 388 horsepower and 331 lb-ft. of peak torque.
As noted, the new T comes only with a six-speed manual transmission. The PDK dual-clutch eight-speed automatic remains the only choice on other 911 Carrera models. Even with an expert stick-shift driver, the PDK-equipped Carrera will beat the T from 0-60 (3.9 seconds versus 4.3).
Carrera T drivers are fine with the difference. According to Porsche, 70 percent of buyer chose the stick shift in the previous 911 T, and about the same percentage engage in driving events. Porsche went out of its way to make sure people know the T is a stick-shift car. Its walnut shifter knob has the shift pattern embedded in it, and the rear side windows wear small decals with the shift pattern, as well.
Perfecting the T
If you look at that decal or the shifter knob, you’ll notice there are six ratios, not seven as in the past. Some media and owners noted that rowing up through seven ratios could sometimes seem confusing and unnecessary. There’s a standard rev-matching feature that makes everyone an expert at downshifting through curves. If you’re already an expert, you can turn it off.
The 2025 911T starts at just around $136,000 versus $122,000 for the standard 911 Carrera, maintaining about the same price differential as the 2018 model did. This the 911 T comes with added features that more than justify that difference, plus some exclusive design features. As mentioned, it comes with PASM Sport Suspension, which lowers the car by 0.4-inch. That’s not available on the standard Carrera.
The T also gets 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels and tires from the Carrera GTS model, with 245/35 ZR20 tires in front and 305/30 ZR21 in back. Those cost $1,800 extra on the standard Carrera. (Fun history fact: The 1972 911T rolled on 15 x 5.5-inch wheels with skinny 165/HR15 tires.) The Sport Chrono Package is also standard, versus $2,400 extra for the Carrera, and the Sport Exhaust that adds $3,000 on the Carrera is standard on the T.
The Carrera T also gets larger brakes than the standard Carrera, with 13.8-inch rotors all around and six-piston front calipers replacing the previous model’s four-piston calipers. Also on the T’s roster, standard rear-axle steering quickens the steering response.
Your Way for the Highway
Unlike that first Porsche 911T from over half a century ago, the current 911 Carrera T is not a stripped-down car to meet an entry price point. The manual transmission reduces weight a bit compared to the standard 911 Carrera, as do lighter glass, less sound deadening, and, for the coupe only, deletion of the rear seat. (You can add that back at no extra charge, if you prefer.) You can cut more weight by replacing the standard steel roof with the optional ($3,900) carbon-fiber roof. Or, choose between a steel power sunroof for $1,550 or glass sunroof for $2,000. Race-style carbon-fiber shell seats are a $5,900 option.
You can keep or delete the Carrera T side graphics, and you’ll still recognize the Carrera T right away by its Vanadium Grey Metallic paint on the wheels and exterior trim. An optional design package adds Gentian Blue accents inside and out. Standard heated Sport Seats Plus have tartan fabric centers that match the door panel trim. The tartan fabric is exclusive to the T, but you can change it out for optional leather if you like.
You get the picture. It’s a Porsche, after all. With so many available options and colors, including Porsche’s famous paint-to-match, you can build a one-of-a-kind 911 Carrera T that truly suits you to a tee.
