What is it?
Faster, sharper and more exciting than the base-model Carrera it's derived from, the Porsche 911 Carrera T is one of the best new sports cars of 2018.
But like most cars, it has been designed and engineered to slot into a model hierarchy.
That means there is potential within the Carrera T that Porsche has consciously left untapped. At least, that’s the way Iain Litchfield, founder of performance car tuning specialist Litchfield Motors, views it.
His reimagining of the Carrera T isn’t a total reworking, but instead a fine-tuning exercise. Litchfield calls its OEM+. He’s quick to point out the Carrera T is already a very competent car, but he reckons he and his team have made it better still with some choice upgrades.
The Carrera T sits 20mm closer to the road than the standard Carrera, but Litchfield’s chassis upgrades drop it by that much again at the front, while the rear sits down by 10mm, on slightly stiffer springs all round. This gives the car a more purposeful, hunkered-down look when stationary and introduces a little more rake, which should enhance the car’s turn-in once on the move. The lowering springs are by KW and work alongside the Porsche Suspension Management switchable dampers.
Litchfield benchmarked a current 911 GT3 for steering feel, and so its upgrades for the Carrera T include revised front suspension geometry. A set of four wheel spacers help fill the out wheel arches and top off a subtle but well-considered set of revisions.
Litchfield’s engine upgrades aren’t quite so subtle. Actually, the upgrades amount only to new engine management software and a much freer-flowing exhaust system (with either an AkrapoviÄ rear silencer or a Remus item), but the results are emphatic: power is up from 365bhp to 480bhp, while torque climbs from 332lb ft to 450lb ft.
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It may or may not be nicer
Also, why is the answer always always always proclaimed to be lower and stiffer? And why does Autocar go along with this fallacy?
eseaton wrote:
997 is a bit of an animal though, compared to newer models. My 997T with a little tune can be quite scary, even with PSM on it can be very tail-happy very quickly, can catch you out, even though mine has upgraded suspension, more agressive wheel alignment and wider tires front and back.
eseaton wrote:
997 is a bit of an animal though, compared to newer models. My 997T with a little tune can be quite scary, even with PSM on it can be very tail-happy very quickly, can catch you out, even though mine has upgraded suspension, more agressive wheel alignment and wider tires front and back.
Presumably, Litchfield could
Presumably, Litchfield could do this to a three year old Carrera too? Now you are talking... no warranty issues to worry about and you could elevate a base 911 to hero status for £10k.
Not really scrap,
Not really scrap,
Presumably, Litchfield could do this to a three year old Carrera too? Now you are talking... no warranty issues to worry about and you could elevate a base 911 to hero status for £10k.
I get the point you are making, but this is a turbo unit, not available 3yrs ago on the base Carrera, but yes they could in say 12-18 months. Even so there are many, many small and not so small differences that distinguish a "T" from a regular Carrera. When all is said and done, surely the travesty is that Porsche deliberately plans and chooses not to build enough GT3's to satisfy the market?
Great Car, Makes No Sense
Have to agree with the former posts. Pay MSRP for a Carrera "T" and then throw 10k at it and invalidate your nice 4yr warranty? Like many I got shafted on the GT3 wait list (3rd time), got offered two build slots, both 20k over MSRP, told them where to go. So I look at this as an alternative but it just does not make sense. Kudos to Litchfield for calling Porsche out on the "T", their power outputs and mods are precisely what the "T" should have from the factory. As soon as the "T" was launched based on the non Carrera 'S' engine you knew it was wrong. Oh, and here in the US, used Carrera "T" with delivery miles offered for 15k below MSRP on Porsche official website!! Says a lot?
I know what you mean
It's a shame that Porsche condones that kind of behaviour, real disgrace in fact.