Porsche’s 911 GT3 Prediction Will Probably Come True

The 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 has arrived in all of its 502 horsepower glory. Accompanied by a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six, the latest GT3 is the fastest, most track-focused 911 to date. Along with its many advanced technologies, including the PDK dual-clutch gearbox, it’s also available with a good old-fashioned six-speed manual. This nod to enthusiasts is expected to go over quite well as Porsche already predicts a very high take rate.

Speaking to Autocar, Porsche GT division chief Andreas Preuninger thinks at least 40 percent of GT3 buyers will request the manual. Porsche’s head of motorsport, Frank-Steffen Walliser, however, believes that figure will be even higher.

You may recall the previous 991.1 GT3 generation was initially launched with the PDK only in 2013. It wasn’t until 2017 when the facelifted 991.2 GT3 debuted that Porsche brought back the manual option following customer feedback. It was the right call.

“We lost several bottles of wine by betting on the take rate when we reintroduced the manual option. We were surprised by how high it was,” Walliser said. He didn’t provide an exact figure, but it was high enough to warrant the manual’s 992 GT3 return. The GT3 is already aimed at enthusiasts, many of whom are all about the overall driving experience.

Just because the PDK can change gears at lightning speed doesn’t necessarily make the car more enjoyable. The 991.2 GT3 manual option was later added to the 991.2 GT3 RS, also due to high demand. There’s no reason why Porsche won’t offer both gearboxes for the upcoming 992 GT3 RS and, perhaps, other performance-focused variants on par with the 991 911 R and GT3 Touring.

The latest version of the PDK in the new GT3 does have a special gear selector level allowing for manual shifting. Although it’s not quite the same as using three pedals, it does provide a happy medium for some customers not keen on always having to manually shift.