Somebody will make a manual, as long as it makes money. As less and less constructors offer them, refugees will seek asylum where they can get it.

I see Chevy being that company. As long as there is canned beer and leaf springs, there will be an American manual transmission.

Whether that is good or bad, will depend on the consumer.

And, ah yes. Computers do all the work. Evil engineering and improvements in technology.

I feel as if I'm among Amish drivers. The amount of technology used in motorsports between 1990 and 2010 is exactly all we need. Anything less is boring and antiquated, anything newer is boring and numb.

 

Interesting, last time I lived in Europe (a few years ago), I had trouble renting a car that wasn't manual.

 

Good point on 20" tires. I'm sure attraction of pdk was good idea on early race cars because it eliminated misshifts which toileted very-expensive engines.
However, why not offer manual boxes to street drivers, unless porsche wants to limit GT3s only to the race track and there is little profit just there....the folks need to buy these cars also for use on the street. And for street a trans-box just for constant racing is bull**** and dangerous. A maual box adds enjoyment and enhanced concentration to limited fast/furious street driving.
Sure there still are plenty of manual boxes in USA high-HP cars, but none with AWD. For me, the 997 turbo has been a winner for street driving because of AWD which keeps absolute control of the vehicle's ***-end in any kind of weather or situation.

 

I'm old school so I will keep my 997.1 Turbo Cab for a long time.

 

build a mildly tuned Subaru STi if you want a AWD turbo manual shift.

my alc injection garret 3076 STi was a handful. I miss it but I don't miss getting pulled over all the time.




I get away with a lot more hooning in my 997.

 

Even though this describes me I can't help but laugh.

These days the metrics that sell sports cars are 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times, and Nurburgring times. With this in mind manufacturers are not going to leave performance on the table by not going with the flappy paddles. There are other advantages as well from the manufacturers point of view. There should be fewer warranty claims since the ECU/TCU can lock out actions deemed unsafe for the engine. It won't let you money shift by accident. They are also able to get the times that with a true manual require the additional brute force of more power. More power generally means worse fuel economy and worse emissions. Two things they have to fight. More power also means more robust parts throughout the engine, drivetrain, and chassis. More robust parts means higher costs and greater weight.

So, I can definitely understand why a manufacturer would want to phase out the manual box but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I actually wouldn't mind having a DCT in something but it would be for a car that I built to have 600+ HP where shift times are a much greater portion of acceleration times than with a lower horsepower car. In this situation I would also require a lightweight, true manual car to satisfy my urges to feel one with the car.

Jasper, no knocking the Corvettes leaf springs! I will admit at first glance they seem ridiculously outdated but upon further inspection they are actually a pretty great idea. First, right from the factory the car can be corner weighted. Not bad for a car in that price range. Next, they remove a ton of mass that would normally be moving with the wheel. Instead the spring is mounted down low in the chassis and weighs but a few pounds. Due to the design of the spring it also allows for a smaller, lighter sway bar. If ya want some Corvette material to knock there are always the horrible seats suitable only for pot bellied 'Muricans.

 

lol! Thanks, sinKing, for taking my post is in manner in which it was intended. I love my Corvette's as much as the next red-blooded apple pie fan (digging the new C7 - as a minority on some forums).

A couple other posters also mentioned something that I had not considered - a manual AWD car. It may be a concept of the past. But here's the kicker - those purists that want a RWD sports car may also prefer a traditional single clutch manual. However, I realize that we (as posters on 6speed) are an overall minority, and may not represent the average consumer. We are enthusiasts, and feel stronger about cars, in general, than perhaps 90+% of all other car owners. I feel that if a car company plans on staying in business, they make the sensible business decision.

Because I've been dead set on a 500+HP AWD DCT mid-engine car under $1million for the last 3 years, I hadn't realized that other cars that I've enjoyed will be going away entirely. It doesn't bother me as much as others, because I learn to adapt to a new kind of fun, instead of relying on old ways to have fun - such as these crazy electronic devices that let us post here (at home, or on the john at work - don't lie, you know you're doing it right now).

But - I feel that Porsche is going to capitalize (or wait) on the period of time where there is no manual version. If sales are up, I can see leaving everything alone. If sales go down, they can come to the rescue - releasing a manual version - save the world, and solidify themselves for the next 10 years among enthusiasts of motorsports.

 

We manual drivers are a dying breed.
Most "kids" now have no idea how to drive a stick.

I was at a racing school last year and none of the younger generation had ever driven a stick.

It's really sad.

My old 2000 BMW 5 series is a manual and just a joy to drive. That was back when what sold cars was the driving experience. Now it's all about the electronics and boredom.

Very sad to watch.