Murdoch Jr orders two custom-made Porsches

It seems not all executives like to take it easy when they slip behind the wheel after a long day at the office. Indeed, billionaire businessman Lachlan Murdoch likes being in control so much that he ordered a pair of Porsche Panamera sedans with manual "stick-shift" transmissions. Until now, all Panameras sold in Australia have been equipped with Porsche’s new automated transmission.

According to a senior Porsche executive in Germany, the heir to the Rupert Murdoch media empire drove a Panamera V8 with manual transmission while he was overseas recently -- and he liked it so much he wanted one for Australia. To help sweeten the deal, he placed an order for two manual transmission Panamera V8s -- at an estimated cost of about $300,000 each -- which had to be specially made. They will be the only two of their type in Australia.

"The son of Mr Murdoch, who lives in Australia, he drove somewhere in a different country a Panamera V8 with stick shift. He was so keen, he wants to have it in Australia," Dr Stefan Utsch, the sales and marketing manager for the Panamera, told the Carsales Network in Cologne, Germany, overnight at the launch of the V6 version of Porsche's luxury sedan.

"We didn’t plan to sell the stick shift Panamera V8 in Australia so we get the things done to offer him one. Due to his wish we offer now a manual transmission."

It is unclear whether Murdoch’s special Porsches are in the process of being built or have already been delivered, but they are imminent, he said.

"Either he has it or it’s on its way to Australia. Actually he ordered two. So both of them will go to Australia."

The pair of bespoke Porsches will no doubt look good in the driveway of the mansion Murdoch Jr bought late last year. He reportedly paid $23 million for the former French Embassy in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill.

The sleek four-seater saloon -- Porsche’s first ever sedan -- will have plenty of room for his model wife, Sarah O’Hare, and their two boys, Kalan Alexander and Aidan Patrick.

There should be no problem getting the boys to kindergarten or school on time, either. The Porsche Panamera V8 accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds -- and on the speed-unlimited autobahns of its homeland Germany has a top speed of 283km/h.

But the question remains: why does Murdoch Jr need two? Perhaps one is for the mansion while the other is for the holiday house.

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