Only in the USA, for now
Porsche has announced the availability of a seven-speed manual gearbox for the latest Type-992 iteration of the iconic 911 Carrera. However, the new transmission option is only being offered in the USA. What’s more, Porsche has reserved DIY shifting for the Carrera S model. The manual transmission is not being offered for the base Carrera.
Speaking to Drive-My EN/US, Porsche GB said the manual gearbox would indeed be coming to the UK and other European markets but declined to specify when. Intriguingly, in the USA the manual option is described as attracting ‘no additional charge’. The manual gearbox has always previously been the base configuration for the 911 Carrera and thus effectively attracted no additional cost. But in the past, Porsche has charged extra for any automatic option, be that Tiptronic or PDK.
Now both manual and PDK transmissions are simply same-price options. More specifically, Porsche says the seven-speed manual comes paired with a standard Sport Chrono Package. That includes Dynamic Drivetrain Mounts, PSM Sport Mode, auto rev-match function and the mode switch on the steering wheel, the latter allowing the driver to select between Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and the customisable Individual mode. Sport Chrono is a £1646 option on the Carrera S with PDK, which goes some way to justifying the price parity.
As on the previous generation 911 Carrera S and 4S models, the manual transmission versions come with a standard mechanical limited-slip differential including Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), replacing the fully variable, electronically controlled limited slip differential that is standard on the models equipped with PDK.
As for performance, Porsche says the Carrera S fitted with the manual gearbox gets to 60mph in ‘around’ four seconds and hits over 190mph. The manual Carrera S weighs in at 1495kg. For the record, the Carrera S with the PDK box and Sport Chrono hits 62mph in precisely 3.5 seconds and goes on to 191mph. It also weighs 1515kg, and so going with the manual option makes for a 15kg weight saving over the PDK car.
Porsche says the manual option can be ordered now in the USA, with deliveries expected in the spring. Porsche GB would not confirm specifics, but said the offering in the UK would be ‘consistent’ with that in the US. So, expect manual to be a ‘no cost’ option and likewise to be restricted to the Carrera S.
