Top News

Fans of the manual gearbox have had a difficult time for quite a few years now—really, for decades. Back in the easy-going post-Cold War era and the heyday of The Simpsons, buyers could still get a stick shift in everything from Acura to Volvo. Since then, however, the numbers for the do-it-yourself transmission have been cut down with remarkable ruthlessness. As with most things, there is no single reason: automatic gearboxes have improved dramatically, traffic has become increasingly worse, and, naturally, plain old laziness has also played its part.

Some carmakers have stayed committed more than others. Porsche has continued building manual models, offering the gearbox in both the turbocharged Carrera T and the more expensive, naturally aspirated GT3. Now, as of Thursday, a third member of the 911 family joins them with a stick shift, sitting neatly between those two models. The catch is that it is being offered only to buyers in North America.

“While some brands are abandoning the manual, we are proud to continue offering three pedals in a range of products that speaks to different use cases,” said Timo Resch, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “Managing a clutch and shift lever isn’t for everyone, but for the drivers who want it there really is no substitute.”

In simple terms, the new Porsche 911 Carrera S with MT Package, as it is officially called, takes the formula already proven on the 388-hp Carrera T and applies it to the more powerful model. Its walnut-topped six-speed manual links the 473-hp 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six exclusively to the rear wheels, so Carrera 4S fans are out of luck. That will likely make it the slowest-accelerating 992.2-generation Carrera S, but also the version whose owners are least likely to care about beating Hellcats away from the traffic lights. The car has a kerb weight of 3327 pounds, which is only 11 pounds more than the Carrera T. If buyers want to narrow that gap further, the S MT can also be specified with ceramic composite brakes, an option that is not offered on its less expensive sibling.

Along with the third pedal and the wood-topped shifter for the traditional gearbox, the MT Package adds a healthy list of standard equipment over the regular Carrera S models. Centre-lock wheels, available on a Carrera S for the first time, titanium exhaust pipes, and a SportDesign front fascia help set it apart on the outside, while the cabin gets 4-way Sport Seats Plus. Beneath the surface, the manual version also includes PASM Sport suspension, rear-wheel steering, and the Sport Chrono package as standard. Porsche’s famously long options list remains available as well for buyers who want to personalise the car even further.

There is also a small Easter egg at the rear of the car: a scarlet “S.” Rather than implying the MT Package comes from Krypton or has committed some offence in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the red letter is actually a nod to similar pieces that North American owners have been using to modify their Carrera S and Carrera 4S models for years.

Being a Porsche, naturally, this is not an inexpensive way to make your dream come true. While a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S starts at $158,550, the manual version begins at $169,450 for the coupe and $183,350 for the cabriolet. Even so, if you were to add the equivalent MT Package standard equipment to a dual-clutch C2S—excluding the manual gearbox itself—the price would actually go beyond those figures. By that logic, one could almost argue that it is something of a bargain. Deliveries are expected to begin by the end of this year, giving buyers a few months to sharpen that argument before taking it to their accountant.