Porsche Brings Back the Manual 911 Carrera S – But There’s a Catch

Much like the BMW M3 CS Handschalter, the MT Package is a car the UK and mainland Europe will have to admire from afar. Porsche says the reversal is due to ‘overwhelming customer demand’.

The car slots between the 388bhp Carrera T and the GT3 family, both of which already offer three pedals, and takes Porsche’s North American manual 911 line-up to seven variants – assuming you’re happy to count the Coupé and Cabriolet as separate entities. The new addition is exclusively RWD, with no plans to offer the transmission on the 4S.

Porsche has paired the Carrera T’s six-speed transmission with the S’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six, but the MT Package amounts to rather more than what lies within the transmission tunnel. Rear-axle steering, PASM Sport suspension with a 10mm lower ride height and Sport Chrono are all standard, while centre-lock wheels appear on a Carrera S for the first time, saving more than 7kg over the regular wheel set.

Reduced sound insulation and lightweight glass trim further weight from the car. Porsche claims 1509kg on its US kerb-weight basis for the Coupé, around 5kg more than the T.

Power remains at 473bhp, as does torque at 390lb ft (530Nm). As you’d expect, acceleration has been impacted by the need to cut drive and row a gearlever around its gate: 0–60mph takes 3.9sec, compared with 3.3sec for the PDK S, while the Cabriolet records 4.1sec against 3.5sec. Top speed is unchanged at 191mph, despite losing two ratios compared to PDK.

Braking hardware comes from the regular Carrera S, with 408mm front and 380mm rear iron discs clamped by six- and four-piston fixed callipers respectively. Stateside, PCCB cannot be specified on the Carrera T, but on the S they’re optional, as are carbon-fibre lightweight bucket seats. Four-way Sport Seats Plus are standard, with further options including 14-way and 18-way adjustables. The Coupé is also a two-seater by default, although the rear seats can be reinstated at no extra cost.

Buyers can also specify an interior package comprising plaid Sport-Tex seat centres with Chalk stripes and matching stitching and seatbelts. It also includes Ceramica trim, brushed black aluminium door sill guards and a white accent ring for the Sport Chrono clock. Naturally, the star of the interior is the laminated, open-pore walnut gearknob engraved with an ‘MT’ badge.

Besides the centre-lock wheels, other external differentiators include a SportDesign front fascia, titanium tailpipes and a red ‘S’ within the Carrera S script, a detail Porsche says developed from a modification already popular among North American owners. An optional exterior package goes further with black HD-Matrix headlights featuring white detailing, Ceramica-finished centre-lock wheels, white Porsche script and puddle lights projecting the six-speed shift pattern onto the ground.

The 2027 911 Carrera S with MT Package is priced from $167,100 for the coupe and $181,000 for the Cabriolet, before a $2,350 delivery, processing and handling fee. Matched against a comparably equipped PDK Carrera S, which costs more once the same equipment is priced in, the manual gearbox effectively comes at no premium. Converted at today’s rate, that entry price works out at roughly £123,700 – only a fraction more than Porsche UK asks for a Carrera T.

Orders are open now, with first North American deliveries expected before the end of 2026. As Timo Resch, president and chief executive of Porsche Cars North America, said: ‘Managing a clutch and shift lever isn’t for everyone, but for the drivers who want it there really is no substitute.’