Porsche committed to naturally aspirated engines, manuals for next decade

Old school and prefer naturally aspirated engines and manual transmissions? Porsche hears you and intends to keep building both for at least the next 10 years.

Speaking to Australian publication What Car recently, Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger likens driving a high revving, naturally aspirated engine with a manual transmission to be like medicine because “everybody is grinning and that’s healthy.”

“I think we have an advantage in the market over the competition because everybody has skipped and deleted the atmospheric engine and deleted even the manual gearbox. That’s a mistake!” he offered.

Preuninger says manual variants of some GT models make up half of the cars sold in certain markets, meaning there’s enough demand for them.

While he is all for old school, naturally aspirated mill and manual transmission, Preuninger is very conscious of the increasingly stringent emissions laws, which he says is what’s limiting the power outputs of future GT department engines.

That is why he believes Porsche’s GT models can co-exist harmoniously with the company’s upcoming all-electric Taycan.