Porsche listened to (and delighted) its most puritanical of fans when it revealed the new 911 GT3… with an available manual transmission. If you count yourself among them, and have been wondering how much the option will cost, we have good news.
According to Car and Driver, the traditional stick-shift will be a no-cost option. So whether you want your GT3 with the six-speed gearbox or the quicker-shifting (but less involving) seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, it’ll cost you $143,600, plus another $1,050 for delivery.
That is, assuming you can get your hands on one, because Porsche’s GT models tend to emerge in high demand. That’s also assuming you don’t ratchet up the MSRP with what’s sure to be an extensive array of options. Mind you, a stick-shift usually costs less than a DCT – and still does even on other versions of the 911 – but Porsche isn’t offering a discount for those who forgo the dual automated clutches for a single manually operated one on the new GT3.
Porsche GT chief Andreas Preuninger told C/D that he expects an approximate 60/40 split on the GT3 between those opting for the DCT versus the six-speed. But in the United States, it’s expected to be roughly 50/50. Either way, you’re looking at a sports car that borders on the super, with a 4.0-liter flat-six, naturally aspirated to produce 500 horsepower and 338 lb-ft of torque.
Though the stick-shift version weighs 37 pounds less than the DCT, the slower shift action of the six-speed means that the manual GT3 takes 3.8 seconds to hit 60 instead of 3.2 for the dual-clutch version. That’s a hefty penalty, though the manual yields an incrementally (and for most entirely theoretical) top speed of 198 miles per hour instead of “only” 197.