Here’s some good news for you gear-rowing folks. Try to contain your excitement, because Porsche is making available a seven-speed manual transmission option for the new Porsche 911.
And it doesn’t just stop there, because Porsche is making the manual transmission as a no-cost option. Yes, you read it right. The same Porsche that charges for coloured seat belts will be giving you the option for a manual gearbox for free – and it even comes with the Sport Chrono Package!
The Sport Chrono Package – usually a USD2,720 option – features Dynamic Drivetrain Mounts, PSM Sport Mode, a rev-matching function, as well as a swivel switch on the steering wheel to select between driving modes.
The seven-speed manual transmission comes standard with a mechanical limited-slip differential with Porsche Torque Vectoring (PVT), replacing the electronically controlled one from the eight-speed PDK gearbox.
Naturally, a manual transmission will be slower than a latest-generation dual-clutch gearbox. Porsche says the manual transmission 911 Carrera S can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in “about 4 seconds”, but who really cares about the extra 0.3 seconds when you’re already grinning from ear to ear?
The manual version of the 911 Carrera S also claims a top speed of over 305 km/h, and tips the scale at 1496 kg – at least 9 kg lighter than the PDK variant.
Here’s the kicker though, Porsche has confirmed that the manual gearbox will not be making its way to the standard Carrera and Carrera 4 models. If you want a manual 911, you’ll have to shell out extra cash for the more powerful Carrera S models.
