Porsche 911 Carrera PDK 2008 review

It has been on the workshop bench for more than a quarter of a century, now finally Porsche is ready to share its Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe gearbox with its legion of daily drivers.

Known as PDK the seven-speed twin clutch shifter - the exclusive plaything of Porsche factory race teams as far back the early 1980s - will be offered as an option in the new 911s, replacing the long-serving Tiptronic automatic.

"Currently 50 per cent of cars sold in Australia have a Tiptronic box,'' Porsche Cars Australia boss Michael Winkler said at the international launch of the new 911 in Stuttgart. ``With the new PDK we expect that to go to 75 per cent. It is faster, more efficient and easier on the car - there is no logical argument to choose a manual over this.''

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Explore the 2011 Porsche 911 Range

Porsche 911 Carrera PDK 2008 review

Porsche says the delay in getting the double-clutch gearbox to market was all about reliability and refinement.

The new box - from the same technology family as VW's industry-leading DSG - combined with direct fuel injection (another first for Porsche) lifts power, performance and fuel economy for the 3.6-litre and 3.8-litre flat six engines. The 3.8 litre Carrera S with PDK can sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds. Add the optional sports chrono pack with launch control and that time drops to a supercar challenging 4.3 seconds.

The extra top-end power - up almost 10 per cent to 283kW - is good enough to lift the Carrera S top speed to a tic over 300km/h.
The new 911 Carrera models will be available in Australia from September. Prices are yet to be finalised.

For full drive impressions, see the Daily Telegraph or check back here later this week.

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