The next generation Porsche 911 has officially been revealed which means Porsche can spill the beans on one of its new, and rather more interesting features: the seven-speed manual transmission.

Porsche prides itself on its PDK automatic transmission which promises crisp, smooth and lightning quick shifts. While it is an impressive transmission to be sure, that sort of technology really only has an advantage on the track. For daily driving, which Porsche claims all its models can do without a fuss, it would likely make more sense to go for a manual transmission. But just because one (rightfully) wishes to row the gears themselves, doesn’t mean they can’t have a similar set-up to the PDK, which is what Porsche tried to emulate.

Basically Porsche stepped the gears for shorter ratios until you hit the seventh gear which is much longer. This is how the PDK transmission is set up. Another way to look at it is as a six-speed manual with overdrive. The gear set-up is also designed to improve fuel efficiency.

So, I would obviously take the seven-speed manual, but which would you prefer and why? Sound off in the comments.

[Porsche]

The internets were a buzz last month when rumours started to surface that Porsche was developing a seven-speed manual transmission for the iconic 911. The speculation was that the addition of a seventh gear would help out in the fuel efficiency department. Besides, automatics are now into the 8th gear realm and quite possibly beyond.

Well, now there is actually some evidence. Porsche has released a teaser video of the next gen 911 and one thing that almost went unnoticed was the gear shift during the shots of the cockpit.  It’s hard to make out, but if you look at the zoomed portion of the gear shift there’s actually an extra line going up and to the right.

In the current generation of row-the-gears-yourself 911s, the reverse gear is up and to the left. This would seem to suggest that the extra line to the right on the gear knob is indeed the rumoured seventh gear. And if it is indeed true, this could very well be the proverbial life saver that the manual transmission so desperately needs to stay alive past the next decade.

Click here to check out Porsche’s teaser video.

[Youtube]

This is amazing if it’s true.

Car & Driver is reporting that Porsche is busy working away at a 7-speed manual transmission to compliment the 7-speed automatic for the iconic 911. They apparently were able to extract this info with the reasoning that an extra gear would help out in the fuel efficiency department.

This would be the first 7-speed manual ever produced from Porsche for the 911. There may be a premium for it, which I’d gladly pay.

Sounds like Porsche has been paying attention to Car & Driver’s “save the manuals” campaign.

[Car & Driver]

The idea of a lowered two door Cayenne is stupid right? I mean why not just get a 911 if you want a quick coupe from Porsche? Normally I would rip into something like this, but damn does it ever look good.

This is the Merdad Porsche 902 and in addition to losing the rear doors, it is also rumoured to come with 750 horsepower (!) which is good enough for a 0-100 sprint in 4.4 seconds.

Considering the Cayenne can actually hang with a 911 around the track, I assume this modded version will do even better. Consider me intrigued. No word yet on what this beast will cost, but you can be assured that it will be in the six figure range.

[Carscoop]

Even though the Cayenne has long been criticized by Porsche fans for not being a true sports car, it has proved again and again that it can definitely hang with the rest of the Porsche family.

The new Cayenne will be out soon and Porsche has promised it to be even better than the last. But really, every car company says that about their product, don’t they? Well Porsche says the Turbo version is so good, that it has an identical 0-100 time as the 911 Carrera 4 S and could even give it a run for its money on the track.

To find out if that is just blatant PR or the shocking truth, Autocar took both out to find out for themselves.

The results, I admit, are quick astonishing.

[Autocar via Youtube]

As it turns out, Mini might be developing an attitude that it likely inherited from its parent, BMW. Just days ago, Mini took a fairly substantial jab at Porsche and challenged them to a race to see who made the better performance car: the Cooper S or the 911 Carrera S. In an open letter, Mini took a few swipes at the image that Porsche portrays and claimed that the extremely less pricey Mini could do what the 911 could do, and do it better without the snobby image. Apparently there was a catch of the race being on the track’s paddocks and not the actual tarmac. Something to give the advantage to Mini?

The challenge was dealt by Mini USA’s CEO Jim McDowell. Oddly enough, McDowell used to be a former employee of Porsche USA. So since a CEO challenged, a CEO responded. Detlev Von Platon, CEO for Porsche USA wrote this open letter back to McDowell:

Peter Cheney, an automotive journalist for the Globe & Mail, was lucky enough to get the new Porsche 911 Turbo for a week. Cheney has a 16 year old son. Porsches and 16 year olds don’t mix at all, a fact that was proven as soon as Cheney brought the amazing 911 home.

To make sure nothing happened to the 911 while it was in Cheney’s possession, he parked it in his garage. When his son got home, Cheney told him what car he was reviewing for the week and naturally, his son had to take a closer look. Cheney told him it was parked in the garage and could go look at it.

Moments later, Cheney’s son came back inside the house, his eyes as “wide as dinner plates”. His son only managed to spit out “Dad, the Porsche….the Porsche”. Cheney thought it had been stolen so he rushed into the garage only to find it half in the garage and half out with a door wrapped around it. Turns out his son had more than just a look.

The resulting damage was $2800 to fix the garage door and $11,000 to fix damage to the 911. Needless to say, Cheney’s son got an earful from his dad, but strangely enough, not from Porsche.

Rick Bye, press fleet manager for Porsche Canada, was immediately contacted and he came out to survey the damage. All he said to Cheney’s son was “Stuff happens. We’re glad you’re okay. This is only a car. You don’t need a lecture. You already know.”

I’m glad no one was hurt either. I’d like to selfishly take this opportunity to let Mr. Bye know that Car Driven would very much welcome the opportunity to review a Porsche 911 Turbo and we don’t have any 16 year olds that will mess it up. Just sayin’.

[The Globe & Mail]

Bad. Ass.

We are complete suckers for Porsche 911s. We are are especially suckers for black ones.

The one you see here is based on the incredible 911 Turbo except it has been tuned by Techart to produce 660 horsepower and 635 pound feet of torque! 0-100 is 3.5 seconds and top speed is 344 kph!

And it looks incredible. The body kit, along with the front splitter and 22 inch black rims really just complete the overall look. Don’t let that huge spoiler ruin it for you though because it’s apparently height adjustable so you can lower it to a less moronic height.

More pics are after the jump if your heart can handle more sexiness.

What is the best car in the world? It’s all relative and subjective and thus, impossible to determine. But that doesn’t stop automotive journalists from trying.

52 automotive journalists representing each continent in the world (except Antarctica – Penguins can’t legally drive yet) have gotten together and submitted their top ten choices for World Car of the Year in two categories: Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year. There will then be three finalists chosen for both categories.

Find out what car made the top ten and what our pics are for the finalists after the jump!

World Car of the Year:

• Audi Q5
• BMW X1
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Kia Soul
• Mazda3
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Buick Regal (including the Opel/Vauxhaul/Insignia versions)
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Polo

Our Pics:

• Volkswagen Polo – The little hatchback that could. This car is offered in many different engine variants across the world including VW’s superb diesel, which makes it quite the fuel miser. It is one of the few cars that is perfectly suited for any market, it has great looks, quality and performance which makes it an excellent global car.
• Mazda3 – While we’re not big on the new face lifted version, that doesn’t take away from it’s class leading performance. There is simply no other vehicle in its segment that can match it, and is one of the few that offers a versatile hatch option for the ultimate pocket rocket for families.
• BMW X1 – BMW is one in a very rare group of automakers that can actually make SUV’s fun to drive. This smallest offering has both great looks matched with BMW’s obsession for perfectly balanced handling. While we likely won’t get a manual transmission option in North America, it is indeed offered elsewhere across the world, along with many different engine options. This is probably one of the few SUV’s that could make us seriously consider buying one.

World Performance Car of the Year:

• Aston Martin V12 Vantage
• Audi R8 V10
• Audi TTS Coupe/Roadster
• BMW Z4
• Ferrari California
• Jaguar XFR
• Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
• Nissan 370Z
• Porsche 911 GT3
• Porsche Boxter/Cayman

Our Pics:

• Aston Martin V12 Vantage – A lot of people don’t consider the Vantage to be a true Aston because it’s ‘so small’ and is the poseur of the family. The V8 version making 380 horsepower is definitely nothing to sneeze at, but this V12 silences all the critics. It’s incredibly fast and agile, all while being very comfy without sacrificing performance or luxury. It’s also quite possibly one of the prettiest cars in the world.
• Audi R8 V10 – Again, the regular version of this vehicle could easily be nominated, but the truly astonishing version is the hardcore performance oriented V10. Jeremy Clarkson – who is probably the harshest automotive journalist in the entire world said that he could honestly find no faults with this vehicle. And that’s like the Queen admitting that she’s a fan of NWA. It just never happens. That alone should give the R8 V10 the award, but after personally seeing the R8 handle itself sublimely in a blizzard without hesitation, we can say that this is truly the best year round supercar. Period.
• BMW Z4 – This is the best looking Z4 so far, but it’s softer. This would ordinarily be a bad thing, but with this new Z4 it isn’t. It’s somehow still just as poised and composed and can do induce a smile on your face just about every time you get behind the wheel all while keeping you comfy for the ride. This makes it a very livable daily driver, especially now that it comes in a hard top for all weather conditions. Get yourself the sport suspension and the is version and you are in for one hell of a treat.

Okay.

The title should be enough to make you pass out,  but in case you somehow are still conscious, we’ll throw another stat at you to make sure it really sinks in.

530 horsepower.

Still with us?

Okay. 516 pound feet of torque. 19 inch wheels. Same fuel efficiency of the regular Turbo.

But here’s the thing. 0-100 in 3.3 seconds! That is biblically fast!

If, after all this, you are still sitting upright in your chair, then take a look at more pics.

This is a good time to mention that Car Driven is not responsible for personal injury  or health issues caused as a result of our reporting of awesome cars.

The good folks over at Autoblog have obtained some spy shots of the next generation Porsche 911. The biggest news? It’s going to get LED turn indicators. Seriously, that’s it. There is also going to be some (very) subtle tweaks to the body such as some Panamara inspired mirrors and a slightly reworked front facia. Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to hear about the engine specs.

This generation 911 is estimated to make it’s uncamouflaged debut at this year’s Geneva Auto show. Check out more pics over at Autoblog.