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Porsche Might Become the Last Bastion of Manual Transmissions

You don't need to be a car aficionado to notice the automatics and dual-clutch transmissions are accelerating towards the point where manuals will basically become extinct.
Porsche Cayman GT4 interior 1 photo
Photo: Porsche
With modern torque converters and dual-clutch boxes shifting faster and returning superior efficiency compared to stick setups, it's easy to understand this trend.

However, if there's one company we expect to become the last bastion of manual transmissions, that's Porsche. Just to be clear, we're talking about more or less reasonable vehicles here, so million-dollar exotics, as well as tiny econoboxes, are excluded - we were going to use the Tata Nano as an example, but even that comes with an automated manual.

Returning to Zuffenhausen's affairs, the carmaker has let it slip that it will continue to offer a clutch for as long as possible. Since that third pedal resonates with the most important element of a car, namely the human inside it, this is, once again, a decision that's not difficult to understand.

Porsche's leading engineer for the 911 Turbo, Targa and Carrera 4, Erhard Mössle, has spoken to Car and Driver, reassuring us there's still time to enjoy a manual 911.

“It’s a unique selling proposition for Porsche to have a manual in the 911 range, and I think we will fight for that as long as possible,” he told us. “Even if it’s only 10 percent of the market, it’s important for some customers and for some markets, especially the U.S., to have that kind of gearbox,” Mössle said.

Zooming in on global Neunelfer sales, we find that 85 percent of these cars rely on Porsche PDK to shift gears. However, with Porsche's traditional ways implying manuals, the practice reaches other Porsche sportscars.

What we learned from the last two years with the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder is that it’s not only a discussion of lap times, but also of emotion, of being fun to drive,” Mössle explained. “Even if the car is not the fastest, it is fun to drive with a manual. Of course the PDK is faster, but a lot of customers want to change gear by themselves. Therefore I think we should keep it, for the next generation also.

Reading between the lines, this means that, while the next-gen 911, which is set to land in 2020, will pack a clutch, we can't be sure of what comes next.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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