Onboard a Manually-Shifted 991.1 GT3 RS

For those who don’t appreciate the precision, unfathomable shift speed, and ease of PDK, there is the option of swapping a 911R gearbox into a 991 GT3 RS. Of course, the 991.2 GT3 is available with a stick-and-clutch option soon, but some people are just plain impatient.

One of those restless souls is Rob Janev, a Porschephile irked by the fact he couldn’t find a 991 RS which would fit into his stable of manually-shifted Porsches. So, he contacted John Teece, the owner of Florida’s BGB Motorsports, who was able to source a 911R transmission from Suncoast Porsche once it was included in their catalog.

Janev giddily scribbled out a check for $22,000 and waited for the gearbox to arrive at BGB, which was quickly becoming his new second home. With enough extra parts to fill a small home, BGB started working once the gearbox arrived four months later and quickly tacked on another $23,000 to the tally; getting the auto-blip feature, the gear counter, the electric parking brake, and the GT3’s rear wheel-steering and traction control systems to work with the new transmission took a herculean effort.

Ever the perfectionist, Janev ordered plenty of interior pieces—including a custom gauge cluster, a new shifter boot, and a few buttons—to make it seem as if stick-and-clutch assembly was a factory option. Hats off, Mr. Janev.