Lee Sibley reflects on ten years of seven-speed stick shift with a road trip in the latest Carrera S

Photography by Ali Cusick

The 992 C2S rolls on the outer shoulders of its Pirelli P Zero rubber

It is a mark of just how seismic a development the 991 was that when it launched in 2011, its new manual gearbox was almost completely overlooked.

Controversies surrounding electrically assisted steering and a 100mm longer wheelbase stole the headlines, yet the seventh-generation 911 had also gained a seventh forward ratio for its PDK and manual transmissions.

Porsche reasoned emissions was the result of this unprecedented move to develop a seven-speed manual for its 911, and the reality was proof enough of that. A long seventh ratio was essentially an overdrive gear, with top speed still achieved in sixth. What was also apparent from our early drives, though, was that this new gearbox would take some getting used to. Some would argue we never quite did.

Adding another ratio threw off the harmony of the manual gearbox. That rifle-bolt action of the 997’s six speed was lost, replaced with a clunky vagueness to each throw through the gate, while an awkward spring loading meant third was often found instead of fifth when hopping back down the gearbox out of seventh when exiting motorways, for example. We noticed AWD 991s were a little more notchy than RWD equivalents, which flew in the face of the C4 and C4S’s more everyday capabilities, and though we love the concept of still changing gears ourselves, Christ, did we really want seven gears in which to choose from? For a 991 which was supposedly more sophisticated than its predecessor, its gearbox didn’t appear very sophisticated at all.

Unbelievably, we’ve now had a full decade of the seven-speed manual transmission in Porsche 911 Carrera derivatives, and there have been muchneeded improvements along the way. The 991.1 GTS brought with it a smoother throw which was then implemented across the board for the 991.2 generation. The 991 Carrera T then sought to lose a little more of that vagueness felt through the palm of the driver’s hand by offering a stubbier shifter, reducing travel through each gate. Then, for the 992, further tweaks were made to the ZF-supplied MT11 transmission, including a lighter clutch pedal and a shift action that removed much of the 991’s clunkiness. After the disappointment of the 991, the 992’s manual gearbox blew us away on a first drive at the back end of 2020. But what’s the latest stick shift like to live with? A couple of days in the mountains would give us the answer.