The Carrera T: Brilliant Driver’s Car or Overhyped Marketing Trick?
Eleven After Nine | A Porsche Culture Podcast
The Carrera T: Brilliant Driver’s Car or Overhyped Marketing Trick?
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Car
Porsche Carrera T
The Porsche Carrera GT is a very fast and expensive sports car that was made in limited numbers. It's known for its powerful engine and sleek design, making it a dream car for many people.
Part
clutch
The clutch is a part of the car that helps connect the engine to the wheels. If it's worn out, it needs to be replaced so the car can drive properly.
Part
motor mounts
Motor mounts are parts that hold the engine in the car. They help reduce vibrations and keep the engine steady while driving.
Part
coilovers
Coilovers are parts of the car's suspension that help control how the car rides and handles. They can be adjusted to make the car sit lower or higher.
Car
Porsche 992S
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that has a unique shape and is known for being very fast and fun to drive. It's been around for a long time and is loved by many car enthusiasts for its style and performance.
Term
hot cammed motor
A hot cammed motor is an engine that has special parts to make it more powerful and responsive. It’s often used in sports cars to improve speed and performance.
Term
stripped down interior
A stripped down interior means the car has fewer features and comforts, making it lighter and more focused on driving. This is often done in sports cars to improve speed and handling.
Term
three liter twin turbo
A three liter twin turbo engine is a type of engine that can produce a lot of power because it uses two turbochargers. This helps the car go faster without needing a bigger engine.
Term
NA cars
NA cars have engines that get air naturally from the atmosphere instead of using a turbocharger. This makes them feel different to drive, often with a smoother power delivery.
Company
Porsche of Charlottesville
Porsche of Charlottesville is a car dealership that sells Porsche cars. They help customers buy new or used Porsches and offer services to maintain them.
Term
configurator
A configurator is a tool on a car company's website that lets you choose different options for a car, like color and features, so you can see what your custom car will look like before you buy it.
Term
bucket list
A bucket list is a list of things you want to do or achieve before you die. For car fans, owning a dream car can be one of those goals.
Term
Porsche 911 (991.2)
The 991.2 is a version of the Porsche 911 that has some updates and improvements compared to earlier models. It's designed to be both fun to drive and practical for daily use.
Concept
addiction to Porsche
When someone talks about an 'addiction to Porsche', they mean that they really love the brand and often feel the need to buy or sell their cars. It's a strong feeling that makes them want to own different Porsche models.
Part
rear axle steering
Rear axle steering helps cars turn better and feel more stable. It allows the back wheels to turn a little when the front wheels turn, making it easier to navigate tight spaces and keeping the car steady at high speeds.
Term
wheelbase
Wheelbase is how far apart the front and back wheels are on a car. Cars with a longer distance between the wheels tend to be more stable, while those with shorter distances can turn more easily.
Term
Sport Exhaust
Sport Exhaust is a special type of exhaust system that makes a car sound louder and sportier. It can also help the car perform better by letting the engine breathe more easily.
Car
Porsche GT4
The Porsche GT4 is a special version of the Cayman sports car that is built for performance. It's designed to be very fun to drive, especially on racetracks, and has a powerful engine that makes it exciting.
Car
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is a sporty car that is very fast and fun to drive. It's made for people who love driving and want a thrilling experience.
Car
Porsche Boxster
The Porsche Boxster is a two-seater sports car with a convertible roof, known for being fun to drive and having a stylish design.
Car
Porsche Cayman
The Porsche Cayman is a sporty car that sits low to the ground and is designed for fun driving. It has a powerful engine and is known for being very responsive, which makes it exciting to drive.
Term
crumple zones
Crumple zones are special parts of a car that are meant to bend and crush in a crash. This helps keep people inside the car safer by absorbing some of the crash's energy.
Term
PDK
PDK is a type of automatic transmission used in some Porsches that helps the car change gears very quickly. This makes the car feel faster and more responsive when driving.
Term
two-wheel drive
Two-wheel drive means that only two wheels of the car get power from the engine, which can make it lighter and more fuel-efficient, but it might not grip the road as well as all-wheel drive.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means that power goes to all four wheels of the car, which helps it grip the road better. This is especially useful in bad weather or when driving fast around corners.
Term
air-cooled
Air-cooled means that the engine uses air to keep it cool instead of using liquid. This is common in older Porsches and makes the engine lighter, but it can also cause problems if it gets too hot.
Term
transmission rebuild
A transmission rebuild is when a mechanic takes apart the car's transmission to fix or replace broken parts. It can take a long time and cost a lot of money.
Concept
pre-1989 coupe
A pre-1989 coupe is a two-door car made before 1989. These cars are usually older and can be more interesting or unique than newer models.
Car
air-cooled Porsche
An air-cooled Porsche is a type of Porsche car that uses air to cool its engine instead of water. This makes them special and is part of what many fans love about them.
Car
Porsche Macan
The Porsche Macan is a small SUV that offers a mix of luxury and sporty performance. It's designed to be comfortable for everyday use while still being fun to drive, making it a great choice for families who want something special.
Car
Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is a high-end SUV that offers both luxury and performance, making it suitable for everyday use.
Term
G50 transmission
The G50 is a manual gearbox used in some Porsche cars. It allows for smooth gear changes and is considered very reliable.
LIVE
Welcome to Renthusiast Radio, the podcast where Will and Derek navigate the winding roads
of Porsche Obsession, exploring the good and the bad of Porsche ownership.
Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and join us, Renthusiast Radio, because life's
too short not to talk about Porsches.
Welcome to Renthusiast Radio.
I'm Will.
And I'm Derek.
And in today's episode, Derek and I are going to have a friendly yet potentially heated
debate on the merits of the 992 Carrera T, the 992.1 Carrera T. I have owned one of these
cars over the course of maybe, it's been a little while now, I'm embarrassed to say this,
but maybe 3,000 miles.
So I have some more serious seat time.
Derek got a glimpse of this car and one of his reviews on his killer YouTube channel,
11 After 9, spelled out.
So I would submit that Derek does not really have adequate seat time to form an informed
opinion.
So he's pro, I'm questionable, we're going to kick that around today.
What do you think, Derek?
I think that's a shot across the bow pretty early in the podcast, Brooks.
And I think it's on.
So let's, we'll get into that in a sec.
I do want to make mention, as I always do for everyone who's watching this podcast on
Will's YouTube channel, Renthusiast, check out his latest video that he just posted up.
Will is about to take a hit in the financial pocketbook and he is bringing in his 997.2
for some upgrades, one necessary, he's going to be replacing the clutch and then some that
are going to really help with the performance, some numeric shifter cables, some coil overs
and some motor mounts.
And so I think he's going to get into the fact as does this make sense to add to the
drivability of this car?
And when he gets it back, is it going to be worth it?
And then is it a forever car, which is such a scary word.
So don't ever, don't ever mention my name, Porsche and forever.
I take enough shit in the comments.
Like it just, it's not realistic.
But anyway, back to you.
My, my tongue was so in chic that I bit it off.
Moving on to my YouTube channel, 11 After 9, I just posted up a video this week.
Please go check it out.
It is kind of in conjunction with this podcast where I take a look at a Carrera T in the
Dot 1 generation, I believe it was a 2024, right before they just came out with a brand
brand new one.
And I was really asking, is this a marketing ploy?
Does this make sense?
Or is Porsche just pushing for a little bit more cash out of your pocket?
And I put it in the light of my Carrera T, which goes back to 1972.
And does it carry that same ethos forward?
So I'm getting some great feedback on that video.
I'd like you to all the check it out.
Leave me some comments.
And then this rolls right into what we're talking about today, Will, because you're
completely right.
I don't have ownership experience with it.
I'd like to think that I've driven a fair number of 992s now where I can kind of place
this T into where I think it might fit in.
But I would love, let's do this if we can, just real quick, talk about what made you
go for the T when you were looking to buy a new car.
Because I think this was a brand new purchase where you were able to, you know,
birth this car as you wanted it and why it didn't make sense.
And then I'll have some questions for you.
Okay, cool.
So, you know, the first thing I want to say is if the listeners right now who are
watching this on YouTube are new to my channel, there's a playlist about my Carrera T journey.
So if you're a 992 person, you're kicking around the idea of picking up a T or you're
just like somebody like me who likes to waste time at night looking at Porsche content,
you're going to want to go back and look at that because those videos there, definitely
they kind of document the journey of what we're going to be kicking around today.
And so that journey is full of excitement, maybe some disappointment.
And so I'm going to, you know, the points I'll share today are reflective of the
experience captured in those videos.
So not to be overly promotional, but that's, you know, informational for you if you're
new to the channel.
So go look at that playlist, the Carrera T playlist.
So actually, you know what, Will, before you get started on that real quick, let me just
explain to the audience what the Carrera T is.
For those people coming to this podcast, not understanding where it kind of fits in, way
back in the F-Body series of 911s, I mentioned that I have a Carrera T, Porsche had three
different levels of performance.
They had the S, which was the really hot cammed motor race 911 that you could buy.
The E was the middle ground, was a torque monster, fantastic for long sweepers.
It was a powerful everyday car.
And then the T, it was T was for touring, but essentially it was kind of the entry level
911.
It was very short on options.
It was the lightest.
And some people think it was the most driver focused car because it didn't have a lot of
the accoutrements.
You still had a good torque curve, but it was, it was kind of no frills.
It wasn't a 912, but it was no frills.
So anyways, to today, Will, I think that they came out with the reintroduced the 911 T in
the teens, right?
With a 991.2 generation, and they came out with, yep, they came out with a T badge.
And then they really were going after the same thing.
Light and glass, lighter battery, stripped down interior, not a lot of options.
They took the Carrera motor.
So the base motor added a bunch of options to it to make it more driver focused and came
out with the Carrera T.
So sorry, Will, to jump in like that.
I just wanted to give everyone kind of a basis on that.
No, true to form, man.
I think that we often assume that people know exactly what we're talking about because we're
such deep dorks.
And so I love that you kind of, you come in with baseline information for those folks
that are maybe casual Porsche enthusiasts or at least just interested in the brand.
And so, no, I appreciate that.
And I think you got to keep doing that.
You're my man with the plan when it comes to that kind of information.
So I'll try to keep my Carrera T story somewhat condensed because I'm sure that people would
love to hear the mistakes made and lessons learned in the healthy debate.
So I had a 991.2 Carrera as some manual car.
It was a 17 and I don't know, man, I bought that car back and like time flies 22, 23.
And I drove the car for a while.
And at the time I got kind of disenchanted with the bare bones nature of the car.
Really enjoyed how the motor made power.
So that was the first generation that they put that three liter twin turbo into their
all of the cars, all the 911s, most of the 911s for emissions purposes.
So at the time I had a couple of other NA cars and so to have that turbo car on hand
was always a fun option to jump into.
I drove it a bunch and I started racking up miles and I just kind of was in that in between
place. And if anybody out there is a semi collector, you'll know what I mean.
When the idea of selling enters the brain, you talk back to it, but it just kind of keeps coming.
So I was considering selling that car anyway.
And then my good, good friend who runs a flow automotive dealership, Porsche of Charlottesville,
called me up and he said, Hey, man, if you want, I have a Carrera T allocation
that I'd be willing to give you.
And it's, you know, you can build it from scratch and go through the whole process.
And Derek, I got really excited about that because I have never had that or I had never had that
opportunity to do something like that.
You hear how fun the configurator is.
You hear how fun it is to, to like track the progress and how special it is to take delivery at a dealership.
Yeah. So at the time picking out the colors, picking out the options, talking with a Porsche
representative and they give you their input.
It's like a whole thing.
Yeah, man. And so, you know, I, I, I bet you I built that car 15 times on the configurator.
So that was fun.
And by the way, I did videos capturing thought process.
It was screen capture of actually going through the configurator and making selections.
So I said, Hey, I want to, um, I want to move forward with this, but in order to free up the funds
and make it make sense for me, I'm going to have to sell this 991.2 Carrera S.
The, the 2017 I had at the time.
So I sold that car, went through the process of waiting for the Carrera T to show up.
I, you know, built it, rebuilt it, built it, rebuilt it, finally locked in.
I probably, and I'll get into this shortly.
I probably overspec the car just because I was so excited about being able to.
And, um, you know, it was, it was a very interesting and like kind of bucket list
process for a Porsche enthusiast such as, such as me.
Carrera was shark blue.
I mean, it had all the T stuff on it.
And, um, you know, I taking delivery and in Northern Virginia was very fun, very cool.
And so that's how I came to own the car, drove the car.
And now I'll turn it back over to you in a moment, drove the car, got it through break
in, really started ripping on it.
And I just found that there was something lacking.
Um, the Carrera T, you made all the good points, uh, about like the history behind
it and how I think in a marketing sort of way, Porsche brought it back.
Um, I, uh, I just found it to lack some sort of character, some sort of oomph.
And I sold the car back to the dealer after I want to say 2,500 or 3,000 miles.
And, uh, yeah, happy to discuss my opinions on that experience with you, Derek.
Yeah.
So you sold your 991.2 because you felt like it was too simple and you wanted more.
But then you bought a Carrera T, which was supposed to be the most simple of the 992
range and you specced it, uh, pretty high.
So were you going for like, I just want more stuff.
I want more comfort.
I want it a faster car.
Like what, why move to the newest version, but the most stripped down version?
Great question.
So that S I had the 991.2, the 2017, I don't want, I'll just keep mentioning the year
to keep everybody straight.
The first car, it was a black, black, um, car.
And so at the time, you know, I've been a color chaser over the years.
I'm, I've since been kind of cured of that in a way.
Although then again, I've got some conflicting information about what I'm
working on now, but we'll get into that later.
Um, but you know, at the time I just felt like, you know, black, black was not that
exciting.
I wanted a very neat color, uh, the interior, like it was not full leather.
It was not particularly like it didn't have the 18 ways.
Uh, the, the gauges were pretty simple.
They weren't, you know, sometimes people can speck them in different colors, uh,
et cetera.
And, um, so what it was is at the time, and I guess I'll go ahead and give you a
spoiler alert at the time I felt like it was not that exciting.
Uh, I came to learn later that it was basically what I would call a driver
spec, uh, Carrera S 991.2 manual, which ends up being a pretty rare car.
So, uh, sold the black car, built the tea, kept the tea for a bit, got board with
the tea, and then I actually contacted the guy that bought the S from me and I
bought it back.
Right.
Um, right.
So I currently, I currently have that car.
So what does that tell you?
I love the car.
I put 20,000 miles on it.
I mean, I am kind of like, I don't know, maybe, maybe thinking about selling it.
Not sure, but yeah, man.
So, so let's get back to that.
That's the second half of the podcast discussion.
So there's a little preview into where we're going to go, but I, all right,
we'll talk about some of the things when it comes to the tea.
Um, but it sounds to me like, and this is, I don't want to be, uh, mean here,
Will, but it sounds like you had a driver spec car.
You thought it was too minimalist and boring.
So then you bought a driver spec car, but then, then you optioned it to be a luxury car.
And then you thought it was too boring and too comfortable.
And then you sold it and went back to what was really a driver spec car in the first place.
Does that sound right?
Yeah.
I mean, I think, and you're not, you're not me.
And I, I always welcome blunt direct questions and feedback because frankly,
I don't care, man, life's short.
I mean, you just kind of laid out, I think in like one interpretation of what happened.
I wanted to get into the A, the experience of building a Porsche.
You know, I, that just doesn't fall out of the sky a lot.
At least for a guy like me.
I mean, I'm not building GT3s over here.
I don't have some special relationship where I bought five McCons and six Kynes
to earn the right to buy GT3 touring.
So this was just, you know, the timing was right.
And I want to talk a little bit, maybe would you like me to kind of reflect back a few
like points or thoughts that I jotted down here as we were kicking around this topic
prior to starting the record?
I would actually, I would actually love that because I will say this,
and I can't fault you for any of this discussion because as car guys,
I'm going to talk about myself here.
I can convince myself to buy or sell anything.
I can convince myself that I need something based on what I have right now.
And then I can convince myself that when I have the thing I thought I had,
that for some reason it's not that great because I want something else.
And I feel like that is part and parcel to this addiction that we have for Porsche.
Like where it's like, you constantly wants different experiences,
but then sometimes the Venn diagram overlaps each other and you're like,
all right, I don't like this experience.
And so if anything, I mean, this is just a discussion about how it really makes a ton of
sense to have, to make mistakes or to have experiences and then just move on and be like,
yeah, I don't like this for that reason or I don't like this for this reason personally.
I'm a, I'm a child of the 80s.
There's this like Cinderella song and I think that's who it is.
It's like, you don't know what you got till it's gone.
And that's what happened with that with that S.
Yeah, dude.
So here's the thing about the 992.1 Carrera T.
I of course started doing some research online on YouTube when I begin to contemplate saying yes
to the allocation and exiting the S. And here's the thing, man,
this is going to sound like a conspiracy theorist position to take on this,
but every video that I saw on that car like raved about it.
Oh my God, this is amazing.
There was a, yeah, dude, I mean, and I think it was a carefully orchestrated
promotional campaign on the part of Porsche to build excitement around this particular trim.
I just, there was one where the dude compared, it was a dry, it was a very well done video
and I can't remember who did it, but it was English guys, British.
They drove back to back the Carrera T, the GT3 Touring, and then maybe an S, all 992.1s.
They said the T won the contest, not in terms of performance, but just overall driving enjoyment,
smiles per mile, all this.
I mean, and then you had other channels that will go unnamed where like to a person,
they were saying this T is really killer.
So, you know, I hated that I couldn't go drive one, but it wasn't realistic at the time.
So I bought sure the hype.
I don't know if that's mistake number one, but I'm sure that some of you out there,
and I know some of my viewers do this too, like they buy into the hype.
For me, when I, when I get really excited about something,
I get really excited about it on video.
I give my true authentic experience with it.
And it could be though that, you know, what really stokes me up about a 993 is not going
to do that for the guy who thinks he's in love with the idea of buying his first 993.
So there was that.
So I kind of fell into the trap of saying, oh man, all these guys must love it.
I will too.
But it turns out that my tastes are different.
My background is different.
So I think this T, this T was trying to evoke the ethos or sense of driving a slow car fast
is better than driving a fast car slow.
This car by no means was slow.
I mean, you could bulk in this car, but it did.
There was something about just sidebar, like it didn't have the exhilaration factor
that the S did, for example, when the turbo started coming on.
And there was a man who, who in the comments under one of my T videos,
I made that point in that video, and he explained from an engineering and physics
perspective why that was, like why the seat of the pants.
I can't think of the word right now, but why you couldn't feel that exhilaration
based on how the motor made power.
So I feel like the T was, was not a wolf in sheep's clothing.
It was a sheep in wolf's clothing.
I think it was okay.
Yeah, dude.
I mean, I hate to be that way.
I think it was a, I think it was a kind of a marketing hype deal.
And so that, that's kind of point number one that I would make.
Now, if you don't have the experience that I have, that you have,
that many people have in their ownership relative to owning early cars,
air-cooled Porsches where that is the real deal when it comes to driving a slow car fast
is better than driving a fast car slow.
Like you might say, okay, the T does meet that benchmark.
Like that's what it's all about.
And I love it.
But to me, it was just a kind of a, it was a reach and it did not match
what I think the ethos was supposed to be.
Now, here's what I did is I did overspec the car.
I don't think from practical perspective that, you know, the things that I added to the car
added a bunch of weight and transformed the, and ruined the T intention.
I mean, I added a glass roof.
I don't know.
I added full leather.
I mean, it was some of the things that I added, rear axle steering.
We'll talk about that in a minute.
I added those things and, you know, all of a sudden I did get a bunch of feedback of,
oh, you're a fool.
He should have gone with the metal roof or even better, the carbon fiber roof.
I mean, maybe I over, I over-expected it.
And that's fine.
And, but I, but again, I don't think that I defeated what the car actually was capable of doing.
I just mentioned rear axle steering.
I was initially really excited about rear axle steering.
Hey, Tech Head, Tech Head Derek, do you want to share with the audience?
Well, I'm just kidding, man.
What rear axle steering is?
Because I'm sure you're going to eloquently be able to share with them what that is.
The official head deep dork of the group.
The smarter guy, the smarter guy out of the two of us.
How about that?
I'll wear that cap, Will.
So, no, rear axle steering was not, it's not 100% exclusive to Porsche.
Many different companies do it.
BMW does it.
Other companies do it.
And essentially what it does is it turns the rear wheels a certain angle
as you're turning with the car.
And it will turn them one way when you're at very low speeds to help a tighter turning circle,
whether it's for parking or maneuvering in amongst traffic.
And then it'll turn them the other way when you're at high speed.
And essentially what it does is it's supposed to stabilize the car and make it feel more planted
at high speeds.
And so because the geometry of the car physically changes, it can act like a car
that might have a longer wheelbase or a shorter wheelbase, depending on the car.
And so when Porsche came out with it, I think you'd agree, just kind of like what you're
talking about with the Carrera T, everyone was like over the moon about it.
Everyone was like, oh my god, this thing, it completely transforms the car.
It makes it so much more nimble.
It's a real sports car now.
And I feel like there has been a lot of backlash on that.
We've talked about this in previous podcasts where I think that was a little overblown.
And when Porsche came out with their 911 ST, which is their, I mean, it's really their penultimate,
you know, sports car.
They six-speed manual, they did not include the rear wheel steer in that with a GT3 motor.
Actually, is it the GT3 RS motor in the ST maybe?
But essentially, they did not include it.
And people were over the moon about that, saying that it brought back older feel when
it comes to Porsche.
So yeah, that about sets it up, Will.
Okay.
Thank you, sir.
So I put it on my T and at first I was very excited.
I mean, I hadn't really experienced anything like it outside of GT cars.
It really made me, it evoked some of the experience that I had in my 981 GT4, my 2016 GT4,
like it was surgical.
And so that T with regards to steering, with that T, at first I was like, man, this is amazing.
Over time, I started to miss that kind of floating front end feel that you get out of a 911.
Although the modern cars don't do it as much, but still you don't feel like,
it requires a little more scale and a little more thought.
So I began to, in true to form with Will, at first I'm like, you got to do this, this is awesome.
After I lived with it for a while, I'm thinking, man, I'd love to be able to turn this off.
Kind of like Sport Exhaust, right?
If you want to change it and subdue it a little bit or just change the character of it, press
the button, you can't do that with rear axle steering.
So to me, it started to feel invasive and annoying.
Um, so that's what happened there.
And then, you know, finally you mentioned this at high speeds.
Like that car, and I won't share what, you know, what speeds this began to happen at,
but definitely like high speeds.
It began to- It was only on a track and in Mexico, Will, where you would have achieved this.
Yes, thank you.
Appreciate you saying that.
No, man, it was twitchy.
It felt a little bit to me.
And I mean, I'm sure that somebody with greater skill than I would disagree.
But I felt like at those high speeds, it felt twitchy and a little bit like you could make
a mistake easily and you would probably regret it.
And so this was unique to my tea, but if anybody out there is considering building one of these
cars and you're looking for that, you know, that true kind of 9-11 feel, I would say that
if you know, you know, and I would forego that rear axle steering,
if you're on the fence about it, because you ain't going to turn it off.
Now, let me give you a quick kind of interesting piece of trivia.
Once I exited the tea, I was looking around for another 9-9-1.2 Carrera S.
And this was before I was able to buy mine back.
My local dealer had one.
It was not really for me.
It was white, black, you know, white exterior, black interior, just not my favorite.
But it was a 9-9-1.2 Carrera S manual and it had rear axle steering.
So that's like the first, what would you say?
That second iteration of the 9-9-1 generation.
And I did not, that rear axle steering was way less obtrusive than in the 9-9-2 Carrera.
And I don't know if the technology changed or whatever it was,
but I just found it to be much less noticeable.
Interesting.
So yeah, yeah, we don't have to get into all that,
but it was just something that I found to be noteworthy.
So, you know, I think, let me just, I'll touch on one more mistake I made or just
unreasonable expectation.
I mean, Derek, I came out of an S trim car and jumped into effectively what is a base
motor with base turbos.
And so I was expecting something to be as exciting as an S trim,
but at the end of the day, the S is faster.
It makes, you know, the boost on it is stronger.
It's going to be a more exhilarating car, even if it's a 9-9-1 versus a 9-9-2.
And so I think that's part of the reason I was kind of bored with the car.
I came out of a superior trim modern 9-11.
And so that was, you know, that goes back to unreasonable expectations.
So overall, oh, yeah, oh, and I was very kind of, it was with mixed emotions that I shared
this experience in my content, my videos, just because I really, like I didn't want to throw
shade on the dealership that offered me the allocation and I really didn't want to, you know,
not be grateful, but I also thought I owed it to people to share my authentic experience.
Well, I think that's why people listen to the podcast or watch your channel
is that we really try to purvey our opinion and with a sense of honesty and it is what it is.
And that's one thing I make sure to tell everyone, you know, when I'm reviewing cars
on 11 after 9 is I say, listen, I appreciate you letting me have a go,
but I just want you to know, like, I'm going to be honest, and if there's something I don't
like, if it's a color or it doesn't drive right or whatever it is, I'm going to be honest, and I
don't want that to affect the fact that you love your car and that, you know, you love it for you.
This is just my opinion, but I'm going to be honest for people who come.
And I appreciate the fact that you didn't buy this car, spec it out and start singing praises.
And it was like, you know, Cinderella, I mean, it's an interesting turn that you didn't like it,
but you didn't like it. I think I know why though.
Yeah, I mean, I want to hear your opinions now. I've been kind of monopolizing this thing, but
you know, I think to put a bow on it, you know, I try to set my ego aside and own,
like, I'm not going to sit there and say, this is great. This is great. And then my true opinion
changes after 2000 miles. And I continue to say this is great because I don't want to look like
an idiot for saying everything before. And I do take some shit in the comments under my videos
just because they call me willy nilly or fickle because I do change my mind. But, you know,
that's just going to be what you get from me. And I think you too. And when people let us
borrow their cars, I mean, there's ways to qualify the feedback like, look, man, the owner loves this.
He or she has a different like ownership objective than I do, but this is my opinion.
So we don't try to beat people up. But I think it's fair to the viewers and listeners, man,
to do that for them.
But also, and you said this earlier when you were talking is that you have a larger library of
experiences to reference against. And so someone who this is their first car or they're maybe one
of three cars that they've owned, their library just isn't as deep. And you can look back and say,
hey, listen, compared to these other things, it's not what I thought it would be. And you're not
saying it's a crap car. You're just saying that it's not for you. I mean, you said it yourself,
man, you had a GT4 coming out of that. And so when you talk about a modern water cooled Porsche
that gives you experience as you drive, and then you compare a nine to two generation car to that,
not a lot of people can do that number one. And I think it does color your vision in terms of what
you thought it was versus what it was in hand. I think ultimately, I think that the question is,
was it really bland? Or is that expectation a kind of unfair because it's a modern Porsche?
And well, if I had to say, I don't know if you're not a fan of the 911T, I actually think that
you're not a fan of 992s, which I think is very different, you know, because it's a much bigger
car. There's a lot of people I run into that kind of say, when it comes to the 991s, they're fantastic.
When it got to the 992s, it just became too big, too modern, too techy, too insulated.
And I think that you just might not be a fan of that too fast.
Yeah, I'll talk about that. First of all, it's too digital inside. You're losing, as I recall,
you still had like the one physical, you know, needle tack, but the rest are digital screens in
the gauge cluster. Secondly, you've got this big screen head unit, which is the direction that
all manufacturers are going in from a convenience and cool factor perspective, it was there. But to
me, it's just like you're getting into a world where you're losing the 911 character, the history.
Now, you know, that said, give me 10 years and guys are going to be looking back on the 992
saying it's the last of this or the last of that, and they're going to chase it, and that's just the
way the Porsche world works. You know, the measurements, man, it's been a little while,
but I feel like actually the 991 versus the 992, the size difference on paper is not that much,
but I'll give you that it does somehow feel wider, lower, flatter. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure I never
drove the car with friends up in the mountains, so I can't speak to this, but they say the 991
is too big. But I took it out for a drive chasing a 993 and a GT4 for a weekend, I don't know,
couple of months back and that car was easy to place, you just got to learn the dimensions.
Back to your point, I mean, I think you're right, it just, it started to feel sedan-ish,
my friend. That's what I'll say. I took a blast with a buddy of mine who has a GTS, so a 992.1
GTS and I let him drive my base Boxster. Then I drove his car again. It was the one I did for
my review way back when on the channel and you just sit like the doors are higher, they're above
your shoulder almost, you sit down and in and you feel like you're in a cockpit, but you also feel
like there's a lot more car around you. You're looking out through the windshield a lot lower,
where in my Boxster you're sitting up higher, you don't feel like you're not part of the car,
but your greenhouse is a little bit more and then you go back to say a first generation Cayman
or Boxster and I drove a base Boxster the other day and I couldn't believe how much windshield was
in front of me because the hip lines and the shoulder lines were a lot lower and so I think
that's part of it. Listen, man, it's the advent of crumple zones and airbags and the cars physically,
even though the interior might not be getting bigger, I think there is a level of insulation.
The way I kind of looked at it in this review and we can kind of wrap this up and move on to
our next topic is it's a lot like what you say, Will, is like you have to look at the car for
what it is and what I did is I compared to my T and 72 spoiler alert, you can't compare them,
they're two completely different cars is the ethos the same. If you are only looking at 992s,
if you're just looking at the base Carrera, the T, the S or the GTS, I actually think that the T
is a special car. In that, you get more accoutrements in terms of performance driving than the base.
You still have the base motor, but how it drove to me, especially compared to a GTS,
is the front end felt a little lighter, it felt a little bit more playful, it didn't have the power
of the bigger cars, there's no doubt about it, but again, I'm looking at it through the lens of
New Hampshire roads and you can only go so fast on 45 mile an hour back roads without severely
breaking the law or being a dangerous driver. Long sweepers out west, of course, GTS all day,
I think the T was a little bit more suited for kind of back road driving that I would do,
you were able to get deeper into the throttle, especially with it being a stick, you were able
to plan your exits, you were able to play with it a little bit, you had rev match, which was cool,
and I thought that if you just look at 992 as well, the T was a better value than the Carrera,
it was special because it did feel a little bit more connected than the S that I drove not too
long ago too, but it's for a certain type of person, whereas like a daily driver S,
especially in like a PDK, is maybe makes more sense for a lot of people or the GTS, now I will
say this, the GTS that I drove is a 4, Carrera 4, GTS 992. I 100% felt the difference in the front
end between the all-wheel drive and the two-wheel drive, so for that discussion, I think we're
both in agreement, but we can leave it there outside of the fact that go check out my review
and see what you guys think on the YouTube. Go check out Will's reviews when he was specking
this out in the excitement and when he first got it, and then watch him change his opinion.
I'd love to hear down in the comments what people think about that because I think it's
definitely a discussion because the price on these Ts, they're inching up to the Ss. I mean,
it's not like you can buy a Carrera and speck it out. Actually, that would be more expensive than
a T, but all Porsches are more expensive now, so do you spring for the extra money?
Let me put a bow on this because it's very, very simple. If you are thinking about buying a 992
Carrera T, go test drive one. I don't care if you have to travel to go do it. We're talking
about a fair amount of coin for most people, and it's worth even doing an overnight to go
test drive the car because that's the only way you're going to be able to tell if it's for you.
So don't necessarily listen to me. Don't necessarily listen to Derek. I mean,
consider this data to help your decision-making process, but at the end of the day, you got to
experience it. That's great advice. Well, absolutely. And test drive it against an S or a base and see
if it makes the difference in your mind, or test it out against a T from the late teens,
a 991.2 T, which many think is a completely different driving experience.
Yes. Yep. So we're going to put that aside and we'll look forward to the comments. But Will,
I want to talk to you about old school Porsche metal. I want to talk to you about
this brainworm that you've had coming out of Lufkical and what it might mean for your garage
because for everyone out there listening and following your garage, there might be a shake
upcoming. So talk to me about what you felt coming out of North Carolina in Durham two weeks ago.
I mean, you were there. It was great hanging with you at the event. It was really fun,
really more fun driving with you out of Blowing Rock, North Carolina for a day and a half. I mean,
I think we had a freaking blast. You were chasing me in my 993 and I got to hand it to you. You're
a hell of a driver. So there's that. Yeah, dude. So we spent a couple of days at Lufkical. And
Lufkical was a one day event in Durham, North Carolina where they had tons of air-cooled
Porsche on display. It was really kind of an air-cooled cultural event. Very special, gorgeous
weather. I mean, it's one of those days that frankly, it'll just go down probably for the
rest of my life looking back on it as just being a special day. For me, I get into an
environment like that in the examples, the cars, the stories, like they capture my imagination.
I have owned a number of air-cooled Porsches. I mean, let's see a 69T, a 76 with a 3.2 motor
in it. And I'm going to talk internal jargon here. I've had 286 3.2s. I've had a 964 C2.
In Amazon Green, I've had 3993s. And I have gone through a lot of labor pain with those air-cooled
Porsches because if you own one of those, you know that it can take a little bit of time to get
it exactly right, to get it bulletproof. It is financially draining. It is also psychologically
and emotionally draining. Nothing worse than buying a new toy and it sits on a lift for six
weeks because it needs a transmission rebuild. So I've been preaching on my videos that,
like, I love air-cooled. I'll always love air-cooled. It's where my heart is. But I only want to go
back as far as a 993. And that's it. And so that's what I have in my garage. Now, over the past six
or seven years, however long I've been creating content, I have documented my journey. And more
recently, called over the last two years, I've delved in the world of the water-cooled modern
Porsches. And I have retained that one 993. But I go to Lufth and I'm looking around and I'm seeing
these cars and I'm like, hmm, it's pulling on my heartstrings. It's taking me back down memory lane.
I'm like, I might have it in me to do this again. But if I pick up another, like a G-body 9-11,
I really want it to be something that feels really, really special. And I don't need some museum
quality, original paint, perfect car, but something with some character, some patina,
interesting hot rod build that might not be too over the top. And so coming out of that event,
I'm like, God dang it, here we go again. And if you're a brain, if you're somebody, yeah,
if you're like Derek and me, you know what I'm talking about, you start to find ways to sell
yourself on it. You're looking back on your experience with rose-colored glasses, you see
yourself in your rallies, in your mind where, you know, everybody's hot rod cool, and everybody's
so creative because each car, like my car has this creative, unexpected bent to it.
And next thing you know, you want one of these cars. And so I'm right now toying with
the idea of picking up a pre-1989 coupe with character, interesting color, no accidents,
blah, blah, blah. I'm actually going to publish a video where by the time this podcast drops,
I'm publishing a want to buy video where I talk a little bit more about what specifically I'm
looking for and why. But in my world, from a storage perspective and a money perspective,
I got to sell a car to make room for said air-cooled Porsche. Now, this is going to be
really interesting. So here I am in the first portion of this podcast, singing the praises of
this 991.2 Carrera S that I have. As I look through my garage and right now I have a racing
yellow 991 GT4. I have the 993, which isn't going to go anywhere. I have the 991.2 Carrera S.
And then I have a 997.2 Carrera S manual garage red car that Derek referenced earlier that I'm
mid-project on. As I look through these cars, I'm like, okay, what would I liquidate in order
to free up funds to do this? And unfortunately, the, you know, you go ene-me-ne-mine-mo,
it lands on the back left. Dude, this is like lining up your kids in a line and telling them
which one you love the least. Yeah, dude. So, I mean, here's the thing. I will have owned that car
not once but twice. I have put 20,000 miles on the thing. I've daily driven it. I've done long
road trips. I mean, I've done switchbacks, elevation changes, full weekends of driving it hard. I
mean, I really have rung that experience out. I have recently, and I might take arrows for this
in the comments, but I've recently picked up a 21 McCann GTS. Since I bought the McCann,
it's chalk on Bordeaux interior. It's really a fun car. Since I bought that car, I haven't touched
the 991. It's been sitting. And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that a McCann GTS is a 911.
But that McCann is doing a lot for me that that 991 used to do. It's fun. It's sporty.
Easy to jump into. It's got all the modern amenities. So, I'm not saying that it is a good
direct replacement, but I am saying, hey, it does a lot of the things that the 991 has done for me.
So, I mean, here's some soul searching, man. I want to hear your perspective. Would this be
a huge mistake to drop that 991 in favor of picking up a really cool patina monster or something?
Or is this another one of those wild goose chase larks where I'm going to be like,
you know, in two months, I'm like, what the f... I won't curse too hard. What did I just do? And
oh my God, how am I going to find another 991? And now I got to sell this air-cooled or even worse.
Oh my God, the motor needs to be rebuilt on this new to me air-cooled. So, Derek,
you know, I'll stop blathering on, man. What are your thoughts on this? I need a Porsche buddy,
some car counseling here. Lay down on my couch. Well, let's psychoanalyze this.
Well, number one, I'll say this, given your history with your black car, make sure that whoever
you sell it to, it is with the caveat that you'd be a first-read refusal if they decide to sell it.
Because it might be who knows. Maybe it'll be back in... How about you? That's right. How about you?
That's right. I don't know. For those of you out there right now, I am looking for a first-generation
Cayman, Cayman S. That's the play money I have right now. So, I think that might be a little
bit above where I'm looking to spend to add a third, I was going to say, fourth portion of my
garage. And so, but you know that if I bought it for you, I'd be a good caretaker because it's a
beautiful car. Every time I put up a picture on this podcast, I'm like, holy, that is a good-looking car.
I didn't know that you were in the market. So, I love when I'm publishing content to appeal to
our audience to... If they've got something like we might be looking for, then they ought to reach
out. So, my email address is therenthusiestatgmail.com. If you have anything interesting, let me know,
Derek. What's your email address? Oh, that's 11 after 9 at gmail.com. The number 11 and then the
words after 9 together. I'll put it up at the bottom of the screen for the YouTube folks. But
yeah, if anyone has any cool colors, for sure. I was going to say, you might get some leads, man.
Truly. Who knows? I'm looking for good value. I'm actually... You know what? I really want to test
the theory will of a high mileage Cayman. And so, I'm not afraid of a higher mileage, especially
because it reflects lower on the price. But of course, anyone who would come would have to
expect that we're going to check for bore scoring. That's the only problem, especially if we're
looking at an S. That's kind of a non-negotiable. But this isn't about me, Will. This is about you.
And so, here's what I think. If you had told me that you did not own the Macan and you were
thinking about selling your 991.2 to go for a G-body, I would say don't do it. And the reason
for that is, up until your Macan, that was your utility 9-11. You used it every day to go to the
gym. You threw the family in it. It had great air conditioning. You used it as your utility 9-11
as one percenter as that sounds, right? Since you got your Macan, your Venn diagram is now
overlapping and the Macan is now fitting that daily Porsche thrill that you get. Kind of like
when you and I talked about back in the day, the idea of buying a Cayenne and just driving a Porsche
every day because it's really cool, well, that's your Macan and it's fast enough as a GTS to scratch
that itch of your utility 9-11. And so, you look at your GT4, you look at your 997 as your fun
experiential Porsches for the weekend drive or for those blasts through the mountains, right?
Like if you're going to have a special, quote unquote, Porsche drive, then you're going to use
one of those. So, all of a sudden, your 991.2, your 2017 becomes a little bit about like our
discussion about the 992T. It becomes a little too digital, a little too removed compared to
your fun cars. And that is the less experiential car. And so, I would say this, if you're planning
on driving your Macan for your day to day, I would say let it go and go back to the 80s.
I would say don't throw out the idea of maybe doing a back date. Like if you found a car,
that was back dated, right? Maybe looks like my 72, but has the internals of a late 80s car.
So, it's a little bit, it has a G50 and maybe a stout motor. That might be a way to go and that's
something you haven't done. No, and that's exactly right. So, that was my thinking too. Or an SC
with a three-liter, maybe hot it up or even a mid-year with a true 2.7 that's been made bullet
proof. Something with an eager motor. Yeah, man, I mean, you, that was a very, very thoughtful
response. I just, I want to be careful. Now, there is one more factor that you may think,
well, you won't, but some out there might be like you're a freaking idiot.
That career S is black and my 993 is black. I like to have, four is kind of my capacity for
these cars just because of what I've committed to put into them financially. I'm just not going
to put any more money in. For me, when I, at this stage, I'm at capacity. So, if I'm going to buy
something else, I got to sell it. Like people ask, you know, how do people afford to do this kind
of thing? You just got to commit a certain amount of money to your fund and you got to stick to
that. But anyway, I like to have four different colors in my garage that all work together. And
to have two black cars, I don't know, just there, there is a little bit of the excitement factor
that has been dropped by virtue of having two cars of the same color. Super dorky to your,
you know, 1% or problem. Hell yes. I always say this, like I'm grateful to have these problems
for sure. But that's another kind of part of my thinking. I had a, had a viewers send me
unsolicited a very beautiful black 87, I think, really sorted cool car. And for a moment, I was
enticed, but then I was like, I have another car counselor friend. And I reached out to him, he's
like, dude, you're, he's like, you're kind of excited now because of what it is. But I think
you're going to be sorry later for another black car. Yeah, man, I'm not going to yuck your yuck.
I think that makes a ton of sense. And part of owning these cars is the aesthetic art value of
looking at them. And if it brings you great pleasure to sit in your chair in the corner of
your garage and have a cup of coffee at what you're doing a business call, looking at your cars,
who, who can say that you're wrong? That's honestly, you just, you just nailed it or I'll
be editing on my laptop out in the garage or I mean, I'll just be, I don't even know them. But
yes, well said. And that is part of my enjoyment of the hobby. We all have our own version of what
we want to do with it. And that is a, I'm a driver, I love driving them, but I also like looking at
them. Can't drive them 100% of the time, right? You got to be having them. They got to be parked
at some point. But it also kind of goes back to that thing we talk about, about not having
overlapping experiences in your fleet. Well, the same thing can be said about collars, you know.
And also, I'll say this, when clean, a black, a black Porsche is, is jaw dropping. It's hard
stopping. But you know, how, but then you always have to keep it clean. And then you have a couple
of them, but in sitting next to that speed yellow car, anything would look drab. But I think you're
at a place in your collector's journey, where on a snow white Porsche or an all black Porsche,
it just doesn't really get you excited because you've had so many experiences, you want that
aesthetic value along with the driving value. So you can get excited about any G body car,
but the color really plays into it at this point. Get a petrol. That's it. That would be sick.
Yeah, that, yeah, or, or, yeah, petrol is where it's at. But no, I have a crack at a really,
like a beautiful like white SC right now, fresh motor, fresh this new suspension, all this stuff.
And I'm just, I almost fell into the trap again, but I just know that that's just not, I'm not a
white car person. So man, you know, all well said, you heard it here, folks. Derek, I appreciate the
counseling man. And I don't know, maybe people will enjoy this, maybe they won't. But either way,
I've benefited. Well, one of the favorite questions I often get asked when I'm stopped at car shows,
or if someone recognizes me, is they always bring up your garage and they always talk about,
you know, what's coming in and what's coming out because they try to follow the monopoly game of,
of, you know, buying and selling. And so I think that people are interested in this,
but also just talking about the psychological idea of when is it time to move on? When is it
time to just say like, listen, you've got, you've gotten the miles out of the car,
you've gotten a lot of miles out of the car, and you've enjoyed it, but it's okay to have a new
experience. And it's okay to make a mistake. And if you sell it and regret it, it's okay to be like,
I messed up again for the second time. Who cares? That's being a car guy.
That's right. And if you lose on the margins, you know, you're losing a little bit of money
here and there and everywhere. It's just, it's the price we pay for the experience, you know?
Yeah. I agree, man. Well, we covered a lot in this episode, Will.
Yes, sir. We did. Well, I hope, I hope people enjoyed it. And if you're watching the YouTube
version, you know, please subscribe and you'll be notified whenever we publish a new banter such
as this. Yeah, absolutely. And also check out our episode from last week with Zach Lappman,
because we had an awesome conversation that I really enjoyed. He was such a fantastic guest
to have on. Yeah, man. I mean, I've been watching that guy for a long time, him and Matt Farah
on the smoking tire. I mean, I, you know, it just goes back to, I, sometimes you and I have
talked about this before, like the journey you and I are on and the amazing opportunities that are
thrown to us. I mean, it's, it is absolutely incredible. We get to meet some really cool,
genuine people and real car people, which is just a wonderful part of this. So Will, thank you, sir.
I'll see you next week. All right, my man. Thank you. Later, dude.
About this episode
A lively debate unfolds between Will and Derek about the 992 Carrera T, exploring its merits as a driver's car versus the possibility of it being a marketing gimmick. Will shares his ownership experience, having driven the car for 3,000 miles, while Derek offers insights from his brief encounter. They discuss the car's stripped-down nature, its performance compared to the Carrera S, and the impact of options like rear axle steering. The conversation also touches on the emotional aspects of car ownership and the allure of air-cooled Porsches, with Will contemplating a potential garage shake-up.
Original notes
In this week’s episode of Rennthusiast Radio, Will and Derek go head-to-head on the 992.1 Carrera T. Will actually owned one—specced it, drove it, and sold it after only a few thousand miles. Derek’s driven several 992s and just dropped a full review on his channel, ElevenAfterNine, comparing the modern T to his 1972 911 T.
Is the Carrera T a genuine driver’s car built for purists, or a marketing exercise in nostalgia? We dig into:
- Will’s real-world ownership experience—why it didn’t live up to the hype
- How the modern T compares to earlier generations (991.2 T, 911 E/S)
- Rear-axle steering, manual gearbox feel, and the “purity paradox”
- What Porsche got right—and what makes it feel a little too digital
- Will’s latest garage shake-up and his growing itch for another air-cooled 911
If you’re considering a Carrera T—or just love hearing two longtime Porsche addicts argue their way to the truth—this one’s for you.
Watch Derek’s full Carrera T review on ElevenAfterNine:
https://www.youtube.com/@ElevenAfterNine
Watch Will’s 992 T playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheRennthusiast
Tell us in the comments: Is the Carrera T Porsche’s best modern driver’s car… or just a clever upsell?
#Porsche #CarreraT #Porsche911 #992CarreraT #RennthusiastRadio #ElevenAfterNine #TheRennthusiast #PorschePodcast #PorscheCommunity #PorscheLife #PorschePassion #PorscheFans #PorscheLove #PorscheAddict #911T #PorscheTalk #SportsCarCulture #PorscheReview #CarPodcast #PorscheDebate
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