Porsche throws in the towel on Manual boxes: Porsche unveils 2014 911 Turbo and Turbo S models - latimes.com Fans of turbocharged Porsches have reason to celebrate. Fans of manual transmissions have reason to mourn. A single car is responsible for both. Porsche debuted the long-awaited Turbo and Turbo S variants of its 911 sports car Friday. In addition to a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive, both cars will only be available with a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission. No manual transmission will be available. Previously, buyers of the Turbo could get a do-it-yourself gearbox, while the Turbo S was only available with the PDK. Several reasons led to Porsche dropping the manual transmission. For one, few of the people actually spending money on the previous 911 Turbo actually wanted a manual, according to Porsches Nick Twork. The take rate for manual gearboxes steadily declined throughout the lifespan of that car, he said. With fewer customers interested in a manual, the R&D costs became prohibitive, Twork said, and Porsche couldnt simply take the seven-speed manual out of the lesser Carrera models because it cant handle the heat or power generated by the Turbo and Turbo S. Also, for a car bent on maximizing performance and speed, a manual transmission is only a hindrance compared with the lightning-fast gear changes the PDK is capable of, Twork said.
According to Porsche 94% of 997 Turbos had the PDK. You've summed it up quite concisely, it's disappointing but the decision was basically inevitable.
I remember when I wanted the PDK for our 2011 Boxster S. the wife started crying so we got the stick. How long before no stick on a Boxster S/Cayman S???
The flat 4 forced air for the mid-engine platform is due out in two years. That could be an opportunity.
Looks like a nice new update. I've never driven a turbo so don't know about the pdk vs manual. I always heard that the car was so fast through the tach that manuals could not keep up no matter how fast you were. Not sure I like these lines in silver, which is normally a great color on P-cars. These photos look flat. The tan / black interior looks great. Robb
I think I like the approach Ruf took a bit more. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The new Porsche 911 Turbo - first exclusive look. - YouTube! http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1305_2014_porsche_911_turbo_first_look/photo_09.html Just NICE!
Here's a few more of the Rt35 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Performance increased, fun factor decreased, car driver interaction decreased. Seriously who drives their turbo to the nth degree. Even if Porche had a 99% pdk takeup rate on the turbo, they had 0% takeup rate on the GT3 and that is pdk only to. Its all about development $$$.
As I saw the pic I thought wow porche actualy built a cool car, then I saw its a ruff, figures. Whats the spec of the Ruff.
I'm not a huge fan of the green, especially not on the wheels, but that Ruf is near perfection. Love it. Mark
True, but he also puts out, what?, two to three dozen proprietary cars a year? I don't know much about manufacturing at either level, but it seems that the Ruf's styling advantage, if you see one, shouldn't cost that much more to incorporate into a mass produce car.
