Porsche made good on a promise Wednesday it’s made for the last 56 years: a new 911 equipped with a manual transmission.
The automaker announced it will offer the 2020 Porsche 911 S and 4S Coupe and Cabriolet models to U.S. owners with a 7-speed manual transmission and clutch pedal alongside the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic already available in those cars. Deliveries begin early next year.
The manual will be a no-cost swap for buyers who #GiveAShift. That effectively means the manual costs $3,210 more than it did for the 2019 model year when it was the base choice and the PDK automatic commanded the upcharge. Porsche has done this before, though. The company made the manual a no-cost option in the 991.2-generation 911 GT3 when it brought the manual back to that car.
2020 Porsche 911 S manual transmission
However, manual-transmission models will come standard with $2,720 Sport Chrono, which includes dynamic drivetrain mounts, rev-matched downshifts, a steering wheel-mounted drive selector knob, and a sport mode for Porsche’s stability control program. That makes the effective upcharge more palatable. On the other hand, manual models will also get a less-expensive mechanical limited-slip rear differential (like they have since at least the 991 generation) instead of the electronically controlled version in automatic-equipped 911s.
Opting for the manual transmission shaves 84 pounds from the 992’s weight, but adds nearly a full second to the Carrera’s sprint up to 60 mph. Porsche didn’t say specifically how fast the manual-equipped 911 will accelerate up to 60 mph, but said it will take “about 4 seconds” en route to a top speed of 190 mph.
Porsche said it will accept orders for the manual-equipped models now ahead of deliveries, which will begin in spring 2020. The 2020 911 Carrera S with a manual transmission will cost $114,650, including the mandatory destination charge.