Huzzah: Porsche Hasn't Ruled Out A Manual Gearbox In The 911 GT3 RS

Though the world has seen it way before Porsche wanted us to, we're still waiting on the official details of why the 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will be so magical. In the meantime, here's some info from Porsche's R&D boss himself, including the tidbit that it may just get a manual yet. Huzzah!

The GT3 RS has historically been the most hardcore, track-optimized 911 out there, and also the one Porsche takes racing. Speculation has been that it will continue to have a naturally aspirated engine and the PDK gearbox.

That's true, Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz told the UK's Auto Express at the Detroit Auto Show. Hatz insisted turbocharging will only be for "lesser" models, not the mighty GT3 RS. He also said it's going to get an entirely brand-new flat six engine that will work its way down the rest of the range.

Here's the deal with the manual:

He also told us that the RS will be PDK-only to begin with, but that a manual hasn't been ruled out in the long term. The dual-clutch automatic gearbox is the only option on Porsche's standard GT3, but changes gear in a matter of milliseconds.

Defending this decision, he said: "I have customers who said, 'now we understand.' PDK proved a lot of people wrong."

So if you're one of these people still clinging to your clutch and your stick, even though the GT3 RS is supposed to be a race car, there's still hope for you yet.