Porsche confirms the return of the manual gearbox to 911 line-up

Porsche has confirmed the return of the manual gearbox to the line-up of its 911 — the first time a non-automatic option has been available for the sports car’s latest generation.

Now available to order in the US for its Carrera S and 4S variants, the seven-speed gearbox is a no-cost option for the 911 as an alternative to its standard eight-speed automatic ‘PDK’ gearbox.

Cars specified with the gearbox will also receive a Sport Chrono package for no extra cost, which brings dynamic drivetrain mounts — effectively ‘active’ mounting points for the gearbox which aid chassis rigidity — as well as a rev-matching function and selectable driver modes including Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and customisable Individual.

Manual-equipped cars will benefit from a mechanical limited-slip differential as well, replacing the electronic unit in PDK-equipped variants.

How this affects performance and fuel consumption has yet to be officially confirmed, though Porsche claims the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S will be capable of covering the 0-60mph sprint in around four seconds, with a top speed over 190mph.

For comparison, the PDK-equipped car achieves 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, with a 191mph top speed.

UK pricing and availability of the manual option has yet to be confirmed, though expect order books could open in the near future. First deliveries will likely arrive in early 2020.