New 992 GT3 Will Be PDK-Only in California
Considering moving out of California? A Golden State sound regulation that makes the GT3 a PDK-only affair may be the final straw.
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” That of course is a quote from the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities. We typically do not quote great literary works here, but it seems quite appropriate given the recent news regarding the much anticipated 992 GT3. The good news is Porsche recently announced that there will be a Touring package option for the new GT3. The bad news is for those that reside in California. Your GT3 is going to be PDK-only. It truly is a tale of two cities.
Live in Philadelphia and you can get a manual transmission GT3 or the PDK if you want. Live in Los Angels and you are stuck with a GT3 that will be PDK-only. The PDK is of course a brilliant gearbox. But it just isn’t the same as the manual.
This is a big deal for many buyers because it has been reported that in the United States, 70 percent of GT3 buyers opt for the manual transmission. And California has a lot of Porsche buyers. The state offers many advantages to the Porsche enthusiast. You can drive your car on some of the most beautiful roads in the world.
Heck, you can even drive your Porsche off-road in California if you so desire. And the pleasant weather means you can enjoy your car all year round. That is as long as your Porsche does not violate California’s Code of Regulations for its exterior-noise criteria. And apparently the new GT3 with the manual transmission runs afoul of the code. The last revision to this standard was made in 1998. There is a newer standard pending that the new GT3 does meet, but it has not yet been made official.
The official statement from Porsche on the matter:
“We strive to offer as much choice as possible to meet and, we hope, exceed the expectations of our customers – and this extends to even our most focused model, the 911 GT3, which offers a greater range of personalization options than ever before. At the same time we have to fully accept and respect national and local guidelines in every market – not just in the U.S. but around the world.
Unfortunately, this precludes a manual gearbox option on the 911 GT3 in the state of California because of a sound regulation that is in the process of being updated. We had anticipated an updated regulation at time of launch, but this process is not yet complete. The seven-speed PDK option has received full certification. The manual gearbox will continue to be offered in every state outside of California.”
If you are in California and have already ordered your manual transmission GT3, you should expect to be contacted by your dealer shortly. It is possible that you can get a manual GT3 for the 2023 model year if you can hold out that long. However, there are no promises. It is difficult enough to get an allocation for a GT3.
However, if you had one and specc’d your dream GT3 with that sweet 6-speed transmission this has to be a tough pill to swallow. The good news is real estate prices in Nevada are generally much lower than California. And you can get your manual transmission GT3 there. Well, that may be a bit extreme, but California is not making it easy on the car enthusiast.
The 992 GT3 is a brilliant car, and getting one in any spec would be a dream for many. However, if you are spending that kind of money, you should be able to get what you want. The fact that you can’t due simply to some bureaucratic red tape is especially frustrating. Are you a California GT3 buyer? If so, we would love to hear your thoughts on this matter, and what you plan to do. Let us know what you think in the Rennlist forums.
Photos: Porsche
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