THE 911 RANGE WAS ONCE SO SIMPLE. Go back 25 years to when the 996 first landed (yes the water-cooled 911 really is 25 years old; makes you want to say 'I remember when they were new' but then you realise how old that makes you sound) and you had the Carrera and the Turbo. Oh, and there was something called the GT3, soon followed by the GT2. Then four-wheel-drive Carreras appeared alongside their rear-driven brethren, cabriolet models followed the original coupes, and the Targa-cum-hatch-back arrived soon after. And that appeared to be that - until the Carrera 4S arrived and Porsche plugged itself into the derivatives mainline, something it's been hooked on ever since.
The latest round of 'which new 911 should I pick today?' has recently gained a new entrant in the guise of the T. It's a variant that was introduced as a run-out for the 991-generation 911 and, before that, in 1967 when Porsche went looking for a way to offer a 911 for broadly the same money as a four-cylinder 912 but with the more desirable flat-six motor. The result was the 911 T, which went on to win the Monte Carlo Rally a year later.
Today's 911 Carrera T won't be going anywhere near a competitive rally stage, although the Angeles Crest Highway where we're enjoying our first taste would make a cracking tarmac stage. The new 'T' sits between the Carrera and the more powerful Carrera S and tempts you in with a specification that mixes elements of the two. And the result is... well worth waiting for.
It's a simple recipe that takes the regular Carrera's lower-powered 380bhp 3-litre twin-turbo engine and adds Porsche's active dampers and 10mm lower sports chassis, a sports exhaust and mechanical differential and, for the first time, offers the combination of the lower-powered engine with the seven-speed manual gearbox. It's a recipe that certainly hits the spot.
Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo - The latest, V6-powered GranTurismo is now available in open-top form. Is its combination of performance, comfort and style a winning one?
How appropriate for a car that includes a variant called 'Folgore' ('Lightning' in Italian) in its line-up that giant forks of the stuff are straddling the road ahead. It's almost as if Maserati has a direct line to the big man upstairs. Then again, giant hailstones are clattering against the fabric roof as well, and then turn to a deluge of water so heavy that to top 15mph feels reckless. Possibly not the environment the Italian firm had in mind when they chose to launch the new GranCabrio Trofeo around the Italian Lakes. Still, if nothing else it's a stern test of the canvas above my head and one that it passes with ease: there are no puddles forming inside, as you would expect of a £169,585 convertible, and it feels as quiet and snug as if I was driving the GranTurismo coupe.
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The switch to electric power means an early exit for Hyundai N's brilliant ICE hot hatch duo. We go for a farewell drive in the 120 N
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You haven't seen a Mini dance like this before, but then you haven't seen a Mini with a 4-litre M Power V8 under the bonnet and rear-wheel drive. Introducing Vini...