Porsche generated a sigh of relief across the 911 enthusiast community when it announced the return of the manual for the Carrera S. Delivering 473 horsepower from a 3.0-liter unit, said three-pedal sports car proves that Zuffenhausen isn’t bidding farewell to analog driver engagement. Moving up to the Carrera GTS, however, will get you two pedals exclusively.<\/p>\n
The reason isn’t a lack of buyer interest. Speaking to The Drive at the Monterey Car Week, the head of Porsche Cars North America made it clear that a hybrid powertrain and a row-your-own box cannot coexist due to the design of the T-Hybrid system. To understand why the hybrid sixer and the manual are currently at odds, we must examine the packaging of the Carrera GTS.<\/p>\n
Beyond the 3.6-liter turbocharged six-pot boxer, the real trick lies inside the dual-clutch transmission. A permanently excited synchronous electric motor provides the zero-emission oomph, powered by a compact high-voltage battery mounted under the front hood. This motor fills power gaps during gear shifts, assists with launch torque, and acts as a starter generator to boot.<\/p>\n
Total system output reaches 534 horsepower and 450 pound-feet (610 Newton-meters) of twist. Because the electric drive unit is physically woven into the PDK’s housing while also sharing the oil cooling system, the act of swapping the dual-clutch tranny for a manual isn’t an option. As it stands, removing the PDK effectively removes the electric motor altogether.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s great to have an engineering team in Weissach that never stops thinking and has a lot of great ideas,” commented Timo Resch. “I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if at some point they [Weissach engineers] come up with a solution.” Developing a bespoke manual capable of accommodating an electric drive unit obviously requires starting from a blank sheet of paper.<\/p>\n
Photo: Porsche<\/p>\n Implementing a production change with off-the-shelf components takes roughly a year, while designing a completely original hybrid manual transmission takes substantially longer. It’s not impossible, though. Remember the Honda CR-Z? Lest we forget, the Japanese automaker placed the electric motor directly on the crankshaft, right before the clutch assembly.<\/p>\n![\"2025](\"https:\/\/s1.cdn.autoevolution.com\/images\/news\/gallery\/hybrid-porsche-911-manual-not-doable-right-now-but-weissach-isn-t-giving-up-yet_2.jpg\" "\\"2025")
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