Was the only thing keeping you from buying a 911 Carrera T a lack of power? Well, your day just got better. Devotees of the manual gearbox have had a rough couple of decades at this point. Back in the halcyon days of post-Cold War tranquility and peak Simpsons, buyers could find stick shifts in every make from Acura to Volvo, but the interceding years have seen the row-your-own-way transmission’s ranks culled with dispassionate ruthlessness. As with most things in life, the blame is shared across many factors: dramatic improvements in automatic transmissions, ever-worsening traffic, and of course, standard-issue laziness.
Some automakers have kept the faith better than others. Porsche has refused to cease production of the manual, offering it in both the turbocharged Carrera T and the pricier, naturally aspirated GT3. And as of Thursday, there’s a third member of the Neunelfer family with a stick shift that splits the difference between those two—but in a twist, it’s only available for North American buyers.
“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.”
View Price on AmazonIn essence, the new Porsche 911 Carrera S with MT package, as it’s formally named, takes the recipe perfected on the 388-hp Carrera T and applies it to the more powerful model. The walnut-crowned six-speed stick connects the 473-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six exclusively to the rear wheels, which will likely make this the slowest-accelerating 992.2-gen Carrera S but also the one in which owners will care the least about pipping Hellcats off the light. The new car’s curb weight of 3327 pounds puts it just 11 pounds over the Carrera T, but if you want to cut down that delta, the S MT lets you spec ceramic composite brakes—an option not available on its more affordable relation.
On top of the third pedal and wood-capped shifter atop the old-fashioned gearbox, the MT Package brings along a nice list of standard kit above those regular Carrera S models. Center-lock wheels, titanium exhaust pipes, and a SportDesign front fascia help distinguish it outside, while 4-way Sport Seats Plus come with the interior. Under the skin, the manual car comes inclusive with PASM Sport suspension, rear-wheel steering, and the Sport Chrono pack. Porsche’s CVS receipt-length options list also remains at buyers’ beck and call, should they seek further changes.
There’s also a little Easter egg to be found on the car’s tail: a scarlet “S.” Rather than suggest the MT Package hails from Krypton or committed sin in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, however, this red letter pays homage to the similar units that North American owners have been modding out their Carrera S and Carrera 4S cars with for years.
This being Porsche, of course, your dreams don’t come true cheap. While a PDK-equipped 911 Carrera S starts at $158,550, the manual kicks off at $169,450 for the coupe and $183,350 for the cabriolet. That said, matching the parts of the MT Package’s standard equipment other than the stick would actually push the price of a dual-clutch C2S above those figures, so you could almost claim it’s actually a bargain. Deliveries should start by the end of this year, which gives you a few months to work on that argument before presenting it to your accountant.
Source: roadandtrack.com
