Porsche 911 Carrera T Delivery

Yesterday, the Porsche 911 Carrera T was finally delivered.

My first Porsche bought with my own money.
A Porsche I bought with the resolve of “I don’t care if I break a bone jumping off the stage of Shimizu!”
A Porsche whose specs I agonized over and finally decided.

That Porsche, the 911 Carrera T, has finally become mine.

Yesterday morning, the five of us in the family drove the GLB to the dealer.

After arriving at the dealer, we finished discussing insurance, checking documents like the vehicle inspection certificate (which had an IT tag electronic certificate—surprising!), and the specification sheet, then finally headed to see the actual car.

My first impression upon seeing the Carrera T was, “It’s even cooler than I imagined!”

I’m sure most people buying their dream car feel the same way: “It looks even better in person than in photos! My car is the coolest in the world!” and get super excited even before driving it. I totally get that feeling (laughs).

By the way, here are the specs for this Carrera T:

・Exterior Color: Crayon
・Interior Color: Carrera T Interior Package (Contrast Color: Slate Grey)
・Seats: Adaptive Sports Seats (18-way electric adjustment) with Memory Package, Rear Seats
・Exterior: Sports Design Package, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Side Window Trim (High Gloss Black)
・Drivetrain/Chassis: 7-speed Manual Transmission, Front Axle Lift System, Rear Axle Steering
・Wheels: 20/21-inch Carrera S Wheels (High Gloss Titanium Grey)
・Lights: LED Headlights including Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus)
・Comfort & Assistance Systems: Lane Change Assist
・Interior: Heated GT Sports Steering Wheel (Leather), Storage Package, Interior Package (painted same color as exterior), Speedometer Panel (White)

Some ask, “Why didn’t you choose PCCB?” but the Carrera T didn’t even offer PCCB as an option this time. Maybe it’s due to the semiconductor shortage…

Even if it had been available, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it because of budget constraints (laughs).

As for the rear axle steering, the option is expensive, so I initially didn’t plan to get it, but my husband said,

“Rear axle steering is normally only available on the S grade or higher, but you can get it on the Carrera T. Since it’s the only way to add rear axle steering to the base 911, you absolutely should get it!”

So I went ahead and added it (laughs).

By the way, the Carrera T features exclusive Agate Grey on the door mirrors, trim strips, rear lid grille, “PORSCHE” logo, and “911 Carrera T” logo, which adds a cool accent.

Carrera T: First Impressions!

After receiving explanations about the navigation and center screen, it was finally time to leave the dealer. Even then, it still didn’t feel like my own Porsche.

It was a strange feeling, like renting a Porsche and driving it home, mixed with the tension of “This is my own car bought with my own money, so I absolutely must not scratch it.”

By the way, the engine start sound was incredibly powerful. It was so loud that my eldest son got scared and ran away (laughs).

Then, with the Porsche Center staff seeing me off, I sharpened my nerves thinking, “I must not stall here…!” and set off.

But as expected from the 992, the clutch is light, clutch engagement is easy, and it automatically revs a bit if the accelerator is pressed too slowly, making it very easy to operate. It’s unlikely to stall unless something really unusual happens.

My first impression of the ride was, “The ride is comfortable.” Since the Carrera T has a sports chassis, I was worried, “How stiff will it be? What if the ride is too harsh at low speeds?” but it was clearly more supple and comfortable than the normal chassis 992 Cabriolet we have at home when it was delivered.

Of course, on rough roads you can feel some shaking, but going over manhole covers was no problem at all, and it wasn’t uncomfortably stiff. My husband also said that the comfortable ride might be largely thanks to the 18-way adaptive sports seats.

Anyway, I was relieved to know that this car will be enjoyable for comfortable city driving.

Another thing I noticed was the “quietness of the engine sound.” After the powerful engine start, it became really quiet. Of course, compared to regular cars, it’s still quite loud, but compared to our 992 Cabriolet without a GPF (Gasoline Particulate Filter) or the 981 Boxster GTS, it’s noticeably quieter.

At one point, I thought, “Maybe it’s quiet because the sports exhaust is off?” and turned it on, but the volume didn’t change much. That said, I’m still in the break-in period, consciously keeping the revs below 4,000 rpm (as the manual advises), so I haven’t driven it full throttle yet.

After that, since I planned to go straight to the nearby Keeper Lab for coating, I enjoyed a brief 3-minute drive. During that time, the manual transmission was easy to operate, the short-throw shifter allowed quick shifts, and unless you drive very roughly, there was no noticeable shift shock.

This really is an easy-to-drive 911.

Later in the afternoon, after picking up the car from Keeper again, we decided to head to Royu.

Since I’m still in the break-in period, I couldn’t push it too hard, but when I increased the speed a bit, it was still incredibly fast (though I didn’t really feel it was significantly lighter). Also, having the optional rear axle steering made the handling amazing.

It starts out mild but then digs in deeper and deeper. Even on a strange line, it stays rock solid and carves through corners beautifully. It feels fantastic. But I couldn’t help but think, “If only this handling came with the soaring engine sound of the 981 Boxster GTS, it would be perfect…!” (laughs)

Later, when we stopped at the Royu lookout, we met some Porsche owners my husband knows, and while chatting, they told me,

“This car changes dramatically after 5,000 km. The engine sound, the feel, the response—all completely transform, so look forward to it!” That got me really excited!

I couldn’t drive much on the first day, but from now on I want to drive long distances as much as possible, finish the break-in quickly, and really enjoy driving it.
I also hope to share more of my husband’s first impressions and other reports soon.