Porsche remains one of the very few bastions of hope for lovers of manual high-end sportscars, given it still offers a three-pedal setup in its 911 and 718 models.
With the new 992 generation of 911, the manual has been removed as an option across the range, and is now only available on the GTS and GT3.
Yet demand for manual gearbox version of those variants has remained exceptionally high.
Sales of manual Porsche 911 GT3s make up 50 per cent of all Australian deliveries, while the brand new 911 GTS, which has just gone on sale, has a healthy 20 per cent manual uptake that Porsche Australia says may rise as more people get to experience and read about the vehicle.
Uptake of manuals in the GT3 and GTS has historically been the highest across Porsche’s 911 range, which is the reason why the option of a manual gearbox was dropped in other variants.
As an example, in the previous generation 991 series 911, the base model Carrera had only five per cent manual uptake.
In some other markets, the 911 range is available with a manual transmission across a wider range of models but Porsche Australia insists that it is happy with the current offering and is unlikely to change that product mix.
Nonetheless, as was the case in the previous generation with the 911 T, the opportunity for future unique variants of the 911 to be offered with a manual transmission remains.
In terms of the hard-to-get 911 GT3 touring, Porsche only offered the car in manual in the previous generation but took the decision to give buyers the option of a PDK in this current version. Yet the majority of orders are predominantly still sticking with the manual.
Porsche offers a manual transmission in the 718 Cayman range across all models except the GT4 RS. Manual orders currently make up six per cent of all four-cylinder models 718s and about 50 per cent of all six-cylinder orders.
Manual cars have seen a rapid phase out across the globe with the move to electrification, while the rollout of additional driver-assist safety systems make the process of changing gears more of a hindrance than a benefit.
Things have gotten so desperate for manual-lovers that Toyota recently patented a ‘fake clutch’ for electric-vehicles so that it can offer that sensation in its future products.
