MANUAL LABOUR OF LOVE
It’s a strange item. A tall, lever-like object, sticking out of the centre tunnel of the 911’s cabin just aft of climate control dials. There are markings on it: a pattern of lines, the numbers one to seven, and also the letter ‘R’. What is this arcane device? What are you supposed to use it for? And why are there three pedals in the footwell, rather than just the usual two? Of course, we’re being facetious, but as the manual gearbox becomes an increasingly endangered species — in an age where electrification of drivetrains goes seemingly hand-inhand with automated transmissions of some kind, be they dual-clutch, full auto, reduction-gear or even (shudder) CVT units — the H-gate lever and a physical clutch pedal at the driver’s feet will become increasingly unfamiliar sights. Generations to come won’t know what to do with the things.
Sticking a manual transmission into the lower-priced end of the 992 spectrum seems like a perverse move on Porsche’s part. After all, not so long ago, the company abandoned a stick shift for the most focused 911 of all — the 991 GT3 was originally offered with a (PDK) unit only. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t well-received by the driving enthusiast fraternity
