The Next 911 GT3 Will Have a Manual Gearbox

Hallelujah!

byBrendan McAleer|
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All rise, members of the Church of Latter-Day Transmissions. Pry open thy hymnals to page 911, and join in singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” making sure not to skimp on the vroom-vroom noises and clutch pedal kicks. The stick-shift Porsche 911 GT3 will be resurrected. Praise be.

When it was revealed that the hardcore, track-focused 911 variant would be available only with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the faithful hurried to cast the first stone. What could Porsche be thinking? A 911 is not only about what's the fastest around the track, but about how that time is delivered. To be blunt: If we wanted the very fastest in lap times, we'd probably be spending the money on a Nissan GT-R. We want to beat our Porsches with a stick, because that's the way they like it.

Fortuitously, Porsche isn't just full of beancounters and V6 Cayennes. Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche's GT cars special division, is the best kind of German loon. He gets us. Just look at cars like the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder. Porsche moveth in mysterious ways and, an interview with Britain's Autocar, Preuninger has confirmed that the next generation 911 GT3 will have a manual transmission option. The gearbox will be lifted from the new 911 R, meaning it'll be a six-speed, not a seven. (The top-level GT3 RS, however, will remain exclusively dual-clutch. But, hey, life goes on.) Preuninger also indicated there'd be more purist-pleasing models from his GT division in the future, but kept details vague on the upcoming 991 GT2.

We say spare the stick and spoil the car. It's good to know that, even if the take-rate, is low Porsche is still building cars for the enthusiasts. Amen.

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