The Manual 911 Carrera S Returns, and Three Pedals Have Never Felt Better
After a mid-cycle refresh quietly retired the stick shift, the manual 911 Carrera S is back for North America. Few press releases have ever hit me this hard. For 2027, Porsche is dropping a six-speed manual into its 473-horsepower Carrera S. Better yet, ordering opens today, August 13, 2026. Now, I have daily driven a six-speed manual for nearly two decades. So forgive me if I take this one a little personally. The 911 has been the benchmark pure sports car for generations. Add in a third pedal, and Porsche just made the best even better.
Why the 911 Is Still the Sports Car to Beat
Ask enthusiasts, engineers, or lap-time chasers to name the best pure sports car on sale today. The answer almost always circles back to the 911. That has been true for decades, and it is no accident. The rear-engine layout should not work, yet it works brilliantly. It delivers traction, steering feel, and a connection that rivals struggle to match. Just as importantly, you can drive one every single day. It swallows a road trip, tolerates a grocery run, then turns into a razor on an empty back road. That everyday breadth, paired with real sports car capability, is why the 911 keeps winning.
Three Pedals, and Why They Still Matter
A great manual does not make a car faster. It never has. What it does is pull you into the machine. Every upshift becomes a small decision. Every downshift is a deliberate act. The whole drive turns into a conversation between you and the car. After nearly twenty years of rowing my own gears, I can tell you the thrill never fades, even in a boring car like my daily. Porsche clearly understands the appeal, too. Timo Resch, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said it well. “Managing a clutch and shift lever isn’t for everyone, but for the drivers who want it, there really is no substitute.”
What the Manual 911 Carrera S Package Includes
The MT Package is far more than a swapped gearbox. It pairs the six-speed manual from the 911 Carrera T with rear-axle steering as standard. It also adds PASM Sport suspension, which sits 10 mm lower, plus the Sport Chrono Package. Then come the center lock wheels, a first for the Carrera S. Those wheels alone trim more than 17 pounds of unsprung weight.
Inside, you will find Four-way Sport Seats Plus and a walnut shift handle. Outside, Porsche adds a SportDesign front fascia and titanium exhaust outlets with black trim. A unique exhaust tuning and a red “S” designation finish the look. Remarkably, the coupe still weighs just 3,327 pounds. That is only 11 pounds more than the lighter Carrera T. For the truly committed, the options sheet grows further. It adds Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, HD-Matrix Design headlights, and shift-pattern puddle lights.
Is the $10,900 MT Package Actually Worth It?
Let us talk money, because that is the first question most folks ask. The manual arrives as a $10,900 option on the standard Carrera S. That pushes the coupe to roughly $169,450 and the cabriolet to about $183,350. Both figures come before Porsche’s $2,350 delivery, processing, and handling fee. It sounds steep until you add it up. Specifying comparable hardware individually would cost around $10,610. In other words, you get the manual itself for pocket change. The MT Package is not a tax on nostalgia. Instead, it is a fair bundle built around the one thing enthusiasts have begged for.
How and When You Can Get One
Ordering opens today, August 13, 2026, for both the coupe and the cabriolet. First deliveries are expected before the end of the year. You will also want to make this one your own. Porsche offers 17 exterior paint colors, plus Paint to Sample and Paint to Sample Plus. It pairs those with more than 70 leather interior configurations. The manual Carrera S also grows Porsche’s North American manual lineup to seven variants. Those range from the entry-level Carrera T to the track-bred GT3. Clearly, the stick shift is not going anywhere. For anyone who believes driving should feel like driving, that is wonderful news.
The Specs
- Model: 2027 Porsche 911 Carrera S with MT Package
- Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six
- Horsepower: 473 horsepower
- Torque: 390 lb-ft
- Transmission: Six-speed manual (shared with the 911 Carrera T)
- Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive
- 0-60 MPH: Not published for the manual by Porsche (the PDK Carrera S is rated at 3.3 seconds for reference)
- Coupe Curb Weight: 3,327 pounds (only 11 pounds heavier than the Carrera T coupe)
- Suspension: PASM Sport, lowered 10 mm; rear-axle steering standard
- Brakes: Cast-iron discs, 408 mm front and 380 mm rear; six-piston front and four-piston rear fixed calipers (PCCB optional)
- Wheels: Center lock, standard for the first time on a Carrera S; saves more than 17 pounds (Ceramica finish optional)
- Standard Equipment: Sport Chrono Package, Four-way Sport Seats Plus, walnut shift handle, titanium exhaust outlets with black trim, SportDesign front fascia, red “S” designation
- Notable Options: Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), HD-Matrix Design headlights, six-speed shift-pattern puddle lights
- Personalization: 17 exterior colors plus Paint to Sample; more than 70 leather interior configurations
- MSRP: Coupe from $167,100 and cabriolet from $181,000 (before the $2,350 delivery fee); MT Package adds $10,900
- Ordering: Opens August 13, 2026; deliveries expected by the end of 2026
