Manual transmission not dead yet
Lovers of the stick shift fear not, your clutch pedal awaitsOne of the world's most famous sports car makers, Porsche, says it has no plans to ditch the regular manual transmission that has been a staple of motoring for almost 100 years.
This, despite the fact that up to 90 per cent of sales of its new 911 Turbo -- the fastest road car it has ever built -- will be sold with an automated twin-clutch transmission.
Its Italian rival Ferrari recently made the controversial decision to not develop a manual transmission for its latest sports car, the 458 Italia.
But Porsche says it is not about to follow suit. Yet.
"I think there are plenty of people out there who enjoy getting the gear shift right, heel and toe-ing, and feel like they're really driving the car," says Porsche Cars Australia boss Michael Winkler.
"That may not objectively make any sense [because the PDK is faster in all circumstances], but it's an emotional thing."
When asked if Porsche was planning to phase out the manual transmission, Winkler said: "I don't think that's forseeable at this stage. There are certainly no discussions about ending manual transmissions that I am aware of."
He said that Porsche was still committed to manual transmissions "at the very least because of motorsport applications".
"The manual transmission is still better in motorsport, in terms of weight. Manual transmissions are lighter than PDKs (Porsche's acronym for its double-clutch automated manual gearbox which has replaced its longstanding 'Tiptronic' automatic).
"You might say the difference is miniscule (in a Porsche 911 Turbo the seven-speed PDK transmission is 15kg heavier than the regular six-speed manual), and that PDKs are still lighter than Tiptronic [automatic] transmissions. But in motorsport every gram counts.
"Until there is a motorsport application that is as light and as reliable as regular manual gearbox there will always be a place for a regular manual.
"Is PDK going to be developed further? Obviously. But time will tell."
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