What does it mean when a car company chooses to take a step backward and not continue forward?  If the company name is Porsche its cause for alarm in some cases, but before we pull the switch, let’s take a step back and look at what we are seeing.  Because Porsche has taken two of their best cars and offered them only with their awesome PDK automatic transmission some purists have groaned that they want to have a manual transmission offered.  Apparently these purists have enough pull with Porsche to make this a real consideration and we may see a new 911 show up with the manual.

So far this message is only in the rumor and corner conversation phase but the rumor is strong that Porsche may bring in a 911 R that will have the manual transmission these stodgy complainers want along with a naturally aspirated flat six-cylinder engine.  It would be forbidden to bring this group a manual and not give them a natural engine so this marriage should provide these folks with the car they want from Porsche and allow Porsche to feel calm and comfortable while no longer having to sift through hate mail and questions about why they offer cars without manual trannies.

This engine put in this new 911 R is expected to be a GT3 engine that will bring in close to 500 horsepower, which should be plenty to offer the fun and sportiness needed.  The transmission is actually to be the Carrera’s seven-speed offering which could make for an interesting marriage that will require testing to ensure the gearbox can deal with this much power form the engine.  With these two features taken care of what else will Porsche do to make this a car that will please the traditionalists in this crowd?

What we are hearing is this new 911 R will also enjoy some looks and styling that won’t overplay the performance nature of the car.  This signifies we will see a Porsche that offers a more classic feel to it which might just put this group of fans squarely back in the Porsche corner for good.  It’s hard to call any Porsche a sleeper, but this new 911 R is already being described as such which makes for great conversation about what Porsche should do to play the sleeper role with what should be a beautiful new car that certainly offer a nostalgic appeal.

Whether we will see the new 911 R show up at a car show in the near future or not is still to be seen, but certainly if Porsche does choose to make this car it’s a full response to this group of purists who have some valid points.  It is nice to have such a car on the market for them to drive, but for the rest of us, we can blow by them in our automatics with turbocharging underneath.