The manual transmission is an endangered species, but Porsche is fighting the good fight to keep it alive.
While modern automatic gearboxes, and specifically the dual-clutch transmissions, such as Porsche’s own ‘PDK’ offer faster shifting than ever before, the German brand has demonstrated that there is still an art form to mastering a manual.
And to showcase how quick it can be when you get it right, Porsche sent ex-racing driver turned brand ambassador, Jorg Bergmeister around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in the latest (992.2 generation) 911 GT3 with Weissach package and equipped with the manual transmission. The three-pedal Porsche lapped the ‘Ring in 6:56.294, which is 3.6 seconds faster than the previous 992.1 with the PDK.
“More and more 911 GT3 customers are opting for the six-speed manual transmission,” explained Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Model Line. “And more and more often we are asked by these customers how fast a 911 GT3 with manual transmission would be on the Nordschleife. We have now answered this question and – although we know that the variant with PDK is significantly faster – we drove our official lap time with a manual six-speed gearbox. Even without the automated, super-fast and precise gearshifts of the PDK, and with a conventional instead of electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the new 911 GT3 shaved around 3.6 seconds off the time of its predecessor with PDK.”
The 911 GT3 is the latest 992.2 variant to be rolled out as the company updates its iconic sports car model line-up, which has already included the first-ever hybrid 911 production car.
Check out Bergmeister’s full lap below.
Discussion about this post