Porsche Claims 911 RS Models Will Be PDK Only Because You Track Rats Want It That Way

Porsche’s decision to offer a manual transmission with the 911 GT3, off the back of the very limited run of stick-shift 911Rs, was seen as something of a gamble by the company, and not least by Motorsport Division’s head of road-car development, Andreas Preuinger.

“We were having bets about how many we would sell,” he admits, “and we recognised the risk that the demand might not be as strong as we hoped.

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CANADIANCOMMENTS - 11/8/2017 6:47:44 PM

+2 Boost

Posters will say they want a manual but buyers .... something like 95% or more always will choose an automatic of some sort instead. And now that they are clearly faster, there is no need to offer this on a car meant for days at the track.

MDarringer - 11/8/2017 9:14:26 PM

+2 Boost

PDK stands for Pretty Damned Kwik and that's how it shifts. A paddle flipper is simply a faster way to shift. A stick shift is hell in traffic and a paddle flipper is faster at the track.

supermoto - 11/9/2017 3:26:52 PM

+2 Boost

The PDK is awesome. It is so fast, and unlike other automatic gearboxes (BMW for example), the shift timing is so good that I rarely want to override it and use the paddles.

ATrain - 11/10/2017 4:25:12 PM

+1 Boost

Agree with all of you guys.

I would not have ordered the RS manual. I love driving stick but on the track, it's a surefire way to finish second. I ran my RS back-to-back with my R8, which is stick, and the sheer amount of effort required to maintain the line and properly heal & toe through downshifts simply doesn't allow you to extract all of the speed. That ignores the shift speed itself.

It's clear I'm not a pro racer but if the car was going to be for street use only, I'd get another GT3, not an RS, and that one would be stick.

skytop - 11/11/2017 9:03:24 PM

+1 Boost

PDK is perfection in the world of auto transmission.