Quote:
Originally Posted by 986_inquiry
when my manual 986 died I bought a manual 987. I can't imagine buying a Porsche with an automatic, just seems so poser soccer mom-ish
Yes I know the new GT3 isn't available as a manual which just seems so wrong to me. I find it hard to believe manual GT3 sales were so poor in previous years that Porsche felt they could offer automatic only
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I don't think the move to automatic Porsches like the GT3 are entirely about sales.
That car has a limited production and in good times (like now) for the wealthy Porsche have no problem selling those small numbers. Dr. P's decision to go with a PDK only GT3 seems to be more about pace. The rear engine Porsche has been taken to its performance limit, it needs the quicker gear changes to squeeze every split second it can muster. Ditto for the four wheel steering which would not be necessary on a shorter car like the Cayman/Boxster but the swollen proportions of the Carrera have created those weirly abrubpt handling quirks.
People say that the an automatic GT3 will open up the car to more buyers but It seems like a stretch to me. If you're not into sports cars I doubt you're going to spend $150K on a GT3 (PDK or not) over a Panamera, Jag or Aston. I would think a big plush grand touring like the 991 Turbo would be a more likely choice than the GT3.
The other thing is engine maintenance/longevity. With that much power I think Porsche's engineers have deduced that keeping the gear shifting out of the hands of the deep-pocketed but not really experienced driver will result in much more reliable Porsches. Or conversely, as Porsche have themselves complained "some people only buy this car to use it on the track, that's not what we intended, this isn't a racing car, it's a racing car for the street". In other words it only costs like a racing car and if people are going to punish it on the track then PDK will make that harder. It's a win win for Porsche on possible reliablity. Some of the track junkies complain that the GT3 should be manual but track junkies are only a small part of the small part of Carrera buyers. If anything the manual transmission super sports car was on borrowed time, Ferrari dumped the the lever long ago. The bottom line is that as these sports cars need to go faster to outdo the other brand, the less they will allow the drivrer to mess up. With the engine in the rear, the Carrera is already on the back foot agains the midengine cars like the 458 and R8. Case in point, Porsche reclaims the N-Ring lap record and it wasn't a rear engine car that did it and by the margin that the 918 Spyder laid down, I doubt it will ever be anything but midengine going forward. That's was a game-change momment for the brand.