nberry:

The reason why Porsche did not offer manual in the GT3 is because it would have required them to "dumb down" the car. Why should a manufacturer develop a performance car and impair its performance with old technology to satisfy a FEW luddite car enthusiast? Within a couple of years, the complaints about lack of MT will shrivel to a whisper. Meanwhile, Porsche performance cars just get better.

Manual wouldn't necessarily dumb the car down but it would make it substantially slower and if you would be a development engineer, wouldn't you want the car to be as fast as possible without compromising driving fun too much? I think PDK is a good compromise, considering the fact that people can still shift (paddles) manually.

Btw: I worry that if Porsche offers manual for the GT3 RS, reviewers will later complaint that the more powerful and more expensive GT3 RS is slower than the GT3 with PDK on the track. Smiley

If Porsche decided not to offer manual anymore for their GT models, they should stick to this decision and not back down. Time will tell...latest with the GT3 RS introduction.

 


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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S, Cayenne GTS (958), 991 Turbo S (Oct. 5th), BMW X3 35d (2013)