US website Car and Driver say their sources have confirmed that the 991 Porsche 911 will offer a 7-speed manual. It’s understood the new “top gear” will have a high ratio designed to aid better fuel economy. The shift should follow the usual H-pattern, with seventh up high and right alongside fifth gear.
In addition you can expect Porsche to offer a development of their current 7-speed PDK (double-clutch) gearbox as well. All will be revealed when the 911 makes its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Previously, we reported a rumour that the next-gen 911 would carry some sort of KERS technology. Well, it looks like that rumour has gone by the wayside already, with Autocar quoting one Stuttgart insider saying, “The system is currently applied to a race car. Nothing else is planned. The new 911 will not be offered with hybrid drive for the foreseeable future. If and when it is, then it will most likely happen as a plug-in.”
The description of a plug-in system is interesting, let’s see where that takes us. Porsche is still committed to KERS/hybrid technology—a fact supported by the 911 GT3 R Hybrid winning its first race at the Nürburgring last weekend—but it seems at this stage hybrid technology will stay put on the Panamera and Cayenne model lines. And the 918 Spyder, of course.
[Source: Car and Driver & Autocar]