---
title: "Watch This Brief History of Porsche’s PDK Gearbox"
description: "Porsche teaches us what 'PDK' means and its significance in the brand's history."
date: "2018-01-22"
modified: "2018-01-22"
authors:
  - name: "Chris Constantine"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-constantine.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/17878/watch-this-brief-history-of-porsches-pdk-gearbox"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Porsche News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "911"
  - "Automotive History"
  - "Dual Clutch Transmission"
  - "PDK"
  - "porsche"
---

# Watch This Brief History of Porsche’s PDK Gearbox

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/porsche-pdk-history.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Despite significant performance improvements to automatics in the past couple of decades, the manual transmission is still the [weapon of choice](<https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/8132/porsche-confirms-2018-911-gt3-with-500-horsepower-and-optional-6-speed-manual-transmission.md>) for car enthusiasts, but most will make an exception for one specific auto-shifting gearbox—the Porsche [PDK](<https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-carrera-models/drive/porsche-doppelkupplung-pdk/>). Known for its seamless and lightning-quick shifts, the PDK is revered as the gold standard by which all dual-clutch transmissions should be measured.

So what does "PDK" actually stand for? Porsche got so tired of people asking this question that it made and uploaded a short video on Youtube to answer this question and give a brief history of its famous transmission. The acronym stands for "Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe," one of those silly German conjoined nouns that basically translates to "Porsche double-clutch transmission."

Unsurprisingly, Porsche originally created the PDK for use in racing, starting development in the 1960's and dropping it into the [1983 Le Mans-winning 956](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/4018/this-is-what-240-mph-feels-like.md>) prototype racer decades later. After another 22 years, the public finally got its hands on Porsche's vaunted gearbox with the introduction of the PDK on the 2005 911.

It wasn't the first dual-clutch transmission offered in a road car though, that honor goes to another car in the Volkswagen group, the [Golf R32](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/17261/watch-this-1350-hp-audi-s2-go-like-a-bat-out-of-hell.md>). However, the PDK has stayed in the spotlight thanks to its ability to charm Porsche purists and force manual lovers to admit that *some* automatics aren't the antichrist.

https://youtube.com/embed/diT2ZsRLbfc

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## More

- [Here’s How to Clutch Kick a PDK Automatic-Equipped Porsche 911 GT3 RS](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/30044/heres-how-to-clutch-kick-a-pdk-automatic-equipped-porsche-911-gt3-rs.md>)
- [Porsche Tested Its PDK In This Unassuming 1986 944 Turbo Prototype](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/porsche-tested-its-pdk-in-this-unassuming-1986-944-turbo-prototype.md>)
- [The Next 911 GT3 Will Have a Manual Gearbox](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/2432/the-next-911-gt3-will-have-a-manual-gearbox.md>)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 Has 500 HP, a Manual Transmission, and a 198-MPH Top Speed](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/8142/porsche-911-gt3-has-500-hp-a-manual-transmission-and-a-198-mph-top-speed.md>)
- [Ford Sued By 7,000 Owners Over Faulty Dual-Clutch Transmissions](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/10926/ford-sued-by-7000-owners-over-faulty-dual-clutch-transmissions.md>)
- [2020 Porsche 911’s ‘Wet Mode’ Will Secretly Help You Become a Rain Master](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26105/2020-porsche-911-will-adapt-driving-if-it-detects-a-drenched-road.md>)
- [Next Porsche 911 GT3 Will Reportedly Go Turbo, PDK-Only, and Have 550 HP](<https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/18241/next-porsche-911-gt3-will-reportedly-go-turbo-pdk-only-and-have-550-hp.md>)
- [Porsche 911 4S Returns With 473 HP and No Manual](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/porsche-911-4s-returns-with-473-hp-and-no-manual.md>)