Saving the Manuals

I’ve been playing with toy cars since day two if not one and was able to name the cars on the street long time before repeating the same feat for the family members. Those little things were not enough though. Looking for the tiniest window of opportunity to sit on the driver seat of dad’s car was a constant occupation, even when walking was not an option to reach to the target. Once there, the round thing called the steering wheel was easy to figure out. A button here, a switch there, it was no big deal. But the lever on the side was a thing of mystery. Its movements were associated with various tones of engine sound and sensation of speed; though the entire process was unclear... As the manual transmission is becoming more of a rarity by the day, some time in the near future this mystery will spread like an infectious disease, killing one of the most essential part of motoring pleasure in the process. It won’t be just little kids, but entire generations of human beings with no knowledge, let alone experience of driving with a stick. The electronics’ dominance will deprive the drivers of this simple pleasure, while offering pseudo substitutes with fake engine sounds, throttle blips and mind numbing 0-60 statistics... Here is a short video to commemorate a childhood dream becoming true with classical instruments at work on the background. A story told in analogue terms in a digital state of world. You Tube

Uhhhhh... ok...Making the simple out of the obvious? Nice video

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Thanks!

I don't support the glory of driving with a stick -- it is obsolete, and was always a seriously degraded solution to managing engine power. A tiptronic or (for the lucky) a PDK, work much better than any stick. A stick really provides 2 things: It allows the driver to select any gear at any time. (Older auto transmission were poor at this, but the Tiptronic works fine for this purpose.) It provides some physical activity in addition to footwork and steering wheel management. (This provides the illusion that the driver is somehow connected or in control of the car). It seems that advocates of manual transmissions confuse the supposed "fun" of moving the hand off of the steering wheel and toggling a lever in the car, with the goal of having the car in the proper gear at the right time. The satisfaction of good driving comes from having the car in the proper gear at the right time, which is very easy and often better with the Tiptronic. It has nothing to do with moving a hand off of the steering wheel and toggling some obsolete lever that happens to be sticking out of the middle of the car.

Either you like it or you don't. Better or worse is a matter of perspective. I happen to be one of those luddites that will only ever own a manual transmission sports car. I have zero interest in an automatic sports car. But I don't have an opinion about you or other folks wanting to drive an automatic. Clearly the driving public prefers automatic, if you've seen any of the statistics (~90% of new cars sold in the US are automatics?). Then again, most of the driving public likes to have an infotainment system in their car and many of them want it linked to their phone. I have a stick shift, radio removed/replaced with a cubby and very little sound deadening around the engine bay. It makes me happy to row through the gears and listen to the musical sounds of the engine and exhaust. There's no doubt that the PDK and newer automatic transmissions shift better and faster than a human, and they are just plain faster. I prefer the zen of driving with a stick.

I would rather drive than ride. Automatic trans is riding, not driving. Who cares if its faster or more efficient. The most efficient is a bus or Uber/Lyft. The whole point of a Porsche, at least from my perspective, is to enjoy the driving, and I enjoy rowing around in the gearbox with a third pedal and all the choreography it entails much more than just pressing the throttle and brake. But its all going away, friends. Some time very soon, I predict, at least in urban areas, non-automated cars will be prohibited, and you will either ride or ....ride something else or walk. Driving will be a thing of the past. For the conspiracy theorists, driving affords the public far too much independence and individuality, which modern PC cannot tolerate. There are over 40,000 people a year who die in car accidents, and about 96% of those are estimated to be the fault of driver error. This will eventually be targeted and eliminated. Driving will be relegated to off-road and specific venues. Enjoy it while it lasts.

But why stop with the proper gear? Surely the goal should be having the car in the proper gear at the proper speed in the proper lane on the proper road headed to the authorized destination at the authorized time. And you can buy cars today - quite a bit more sophisticated than any 996 Tiptronic - that can achieve this. They of course take a great deal of the challenge and interest out of driving, but those weren't part of the goal. Or were they?

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True, those other goals apply to a satisfying driving experience, but they are independent of transmission type. We could add that satisfying driving includes the proper passengers, a properly clean car, oil changed at the proper time, etc. Although one could argue that satisfying driving is maximized by not being constrained to "headed to the authorized destination at the authorized time" but rather being able to go anywhere anytime. BTW, the main thing I dislike about the 996 Tip is needing 2 actions to get into manual mode. You have to select the gear using wheel buttons, and also pop the stick to the left. Yes, I can change gears in auto mode, but also have to slap the stick left to remain in manual mode else it will select a gear after about 8 seconds. I have the Tiptronic in my 968 as well, no steering wheel buttons for gear selection, but it takes only one action.... slap the stick to the right and pick the gear with the stick, and then it stays in manual mode.

Looks like I am late to the party and all has been already said! �� It is a matter of choice in the end and different things mean different things to different people. What matters in the end is to have the option of manual transmission and it is great that Porsche still provides that unlike many other brands. I have yet to try a gated shifter of a Ferrari and a driving an F355 would be a dream come true. On the other hand I don't feel any kind of yearning for any of the current Ferrari models and the type of transmission they have plays a big role in that... A matter of taste.

Yea totally personal choice but let me add some personal expirrence I have 3 grown children when they were younger I took the time to each one how to drive a standard tranny now they all live somewhere else and visit the old man in Florida 😀 I own 2 996 coupes one manual one tip and each visit when I offer them a car to use each and every time they pick the stick as my daughter said one time �it�s like a Disney ride� sure not as easy or efficient but still FUN Rich

))) “it’s like a Disney ride”, very well put! I drive mine daily and admittedly it is not "oh so awesome" in heavy Istanbul traffic but the affection for the car makes it tolerable for me.

My wife says accelerating in the 911 is like having your parents push you on the swing when you were a little kid. That kind of cracked me up when she said it, but it is definitely a way to describe the rear engine, rear drive experience. She also prefers the manual transmission in sports cars. I got one of the good ones.

Autos tend to put the car in the wrong gear at every opportunity.

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That is ace! I would love to use that description in a future video if she'd authorise. I don't want to get into copyright infringement blues. 😎

I love my TIP 996. My wife absolutely loves driving it, and that makes it worth it. That being said, I get significant enjoyment out of driving a manual transmission vehicle. It's just more fun. I just bought an Audi S4 with a 6 speed manual as a DD and I feel like i have the best of both worlds. To each their own!

I have both, and I enjoy both. My manual 996 with its comparatively huge RPM range loves to make power high up in the revs; I'd be fighting most automatic gearboxes to keep the car where I want it when I'm driving for fun. My '96 Corvette has a bomb-proof four-speed automatic. With mild engine mods and a completely different rear end from stock, I would have blown up several clutches. On the rare occasions when I take the car to the 1/8 mile drag strip, having the transmission handle the 1-2 shift (provided I was not stupid and left the car in "low" after the burnout) allows me to concentrate on not running into the walls or the guy in the other lane. The car also makes a ridiculous amount of torque, even up over a mile in altitude where my wife and I spend a fair amount of time. It's also a lot harder to rack up the equivalent of range 2 over-revs in an automatic. The other obvious benefit is that you need one fewer appendages to drive the manual. After getting my left ACL reconstructed (thanks, dead guy!), I was out of the Porsche for quite some time. Regardless of how we feel about manuals, the reality is that they're going away. A couple of years ago I checked new Porsche inventory in Southern California, and well over 95% of the cars for sale were PDK/Tip. The decision's already been made... All of that said, OP, good on you for making the video. Some of my best childhood memories are sitting next to my pop in our crappy Chevy "Custom Deluxe" long-bed shifting the three-on-the-tree for him.

For the record, my 74 Camaro also has an auto tranny, I thought about installing a 6 speed manual but in the end decided to go with th200 4r. By the way checkout my channel when you have the time, you might also enjoy the video of 96 collectors edition Vette. Subscriptions to the channel are very much appreciated!

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I totally understand your perspective. But it�s much more than just having the car in a certain gear at any moment. It�s about full control of the car and actually engaging in the whole experience. I too wouldn�t own a pdk car at all. I tend to have an issue with old ladies or old folks driving what technically is a bred race car around Beverly Hills. Such a waste of a car. Manual is and always will be the way to go. No comparison. I tried to argue that to a kid at an exoctic rental car joint and he was very adamant about his choice in PDKs. After about 20 minutes I asked him his age and when he answered I just ended the debate as he was only 21. At his age I was already getting speeding tickets in a convertible saleen mustang around Southern California being young and dumb. Point is if you�ve never experienced it you�ll never know what it means.

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I just sub'd. Love the fact that you make these videos as a hobby. Good stuff.

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Thanks a lot, glad that you liked them. By the way Dr. Strangelove is one of my favourite movies of all time. Everyone loves the Pink Panther series, but I think Sellers is at his best in Dr.

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Amen. I think much of this convo has to do with age. Kids are fine to listen to music via bandwidth limited mp3's via ****ty earbuds.... that just doesn't cut it for me. Sure, it takes A LOT more time to get out a piece of vinyl, clean it, fire up the amp, pre-amp and table. And maybe even then you wanna futz w/ the anti-scating mech or otherwise. And then you have to sit here and listen... not on your way to work or to a friends, no, you have to sit there! But when the needle drops, it's worth it. Full frequency. Huge sound. Like the band's in the room witcha. But that takes effort and kids these days will take convenience and efficiency 10 times out of 10 over quality. PDK/Tip/Auto IS faster and more efficient... no doubt. Debate over. And yet I haven't owned a car/truck with an AT in over 20 years, nor will I. I LOVE to drive. It's the interaction with a machine to get the desired result. It's harder and therefore more rewarding. Who gives a rip if I'm .02 sec slower to 60mph... I'm having fun man!

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Pretty much sums it up for me too. I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not having 6MT and I definitely plan on PDK with my next 911 as well. But, I came into the car game after probably 17 years of driving F150s and SUVs, so it's not something I miss about reminiscing from my teen years for example or something like it is for others. I never spent much time in a MT vehicle as my parents didn't have them but even when I did I wasn't a huge fan.