Porsche representatives at the Geneva Motor Show told Motor Trend’s Jethro Bovingdon (see tweet below) that about 66% of US 911 GT3 buyers are optioning their cars with Porsche’s exquisite 6-speed 911R-derived manual gearbox. In order to confirm that this was indeed the truth, we reached out to Porsche Cars North America product spokesperson Frank Weismann for official confirmation of the statement, and this was his response:
I can confirm that the overall take rate of the manual on the 2018 911 GT3 in the US is currently around 2/3rds. It started around 50% when we introduced the car last year and has been trending upward. Also due to the introduction of the Touring Package, which is only available with the manual.
As true believers of manually-engaged gears, we are excited about this shift (excuse the pun) in buying habits among American enthusiasts. While Porsche’s DoppelKupplungsgetriebe is always going to be the quicker gearbox for pure acceleration numbers and race track lap times, the manual gearbox helps provide a much more driver-focused experience. While other sports car companies like Lamborghini and Ferrari have completely ditched manual gearboxes, it’s heartening to see Porsche sticking with the manual for folks like us who enjoy using a clutch pedal and a gear lever in our sporty driving. Now if only we could convince Porsche to sell a GT3 RS with a stick, we’d really jump for joy.
Favourite snippet from Geneva. 2/3rds of GT3s in the US are being spec’d with one of these. pic.twitter.com/VvrgenLlcI
— Jethro Bovingdon (@JethroBovingdon) March 7, 2018
Way to go, GT3 buyers! You’re proving that there is still a place for manual gearboxes in the world. Faith in humanity restored, as the internet used to say.
