Rennlister Builds World’s First (and Only) Manual 991 GT3 RS

By Brett Foote - July 24, 2017

Lots of people were mad when Porsche refused to put a stick shift in the 991 GT3 RS. This brave soul decided to do something about it.

To say that Porsche faced a bit of backlash when it decided to banish the manual transmission from the 991 GT3 RS is a massive understatement. After all, this is the brand that builds cars for drivers. Real enthusiasts who care more about feeling connected to the car than about shaving a few tenths off a lap time. And even though the percentage of folks who actually opt for a stick shift these days has dwindled, we expect better from the likes of Porsche.

But while most folks choose to simply air their grievances, one man decided to take action. And that man is Rennlist forum member RJGT3RS, or Rob Janev, as his friends and family know him. Many called Janev a madman for ripping into his 900-mile 991 GT3 RS. But we call him a hero for doing what Porsche should have done in the first place.

In all fairness, Janev isn’t a PDK hater, even calling it an “amazing transmission.” But he yearned for more than just lightning fast shifts. And like many Porsche owners, he felt a little resentment from their recent actions. “I don’t like that Porsche took the manual option away from us GT car owners only to put it back into a limited numbered car and play games with allocations,” he explained.

So, Janev did what any red blooded hot rodder would do – he set out to make the car Porsche should have built in the first place. And he was so excited about the project that he started to rip into it himself. Janev started by removing the steering wheel and those evil PDK paddles. Then, out came the gauge cluster so he could replace the tachometer.

Then…a whole lot of waiting. Obviously, this isn’t as simple as just swapping out gearboxes and calling it a day. From the flywheel to the 911R transmission to the countless interior trim parts, it all rolled in over the course of a few weeks.

Before his transplant candidate went under the knife, Janev took his Porsche for one last drive as an automatic. Next thing you know, she was loaded up in a trailer and headed south. And once Janev arrived at BGB Motorsports in Florida, the surgery began almost immediately.

As the awesome guys at BGB admitted, swapping parts was easy. After all, everything they used was OEM Porsche. It’s the wiring, computer work, and programming that promised to present the biggest challenge. But while they waited for even more parts to show up, why not go ahead and install a new exhaust?

“It was a knock down, drag out fight with the coding but in the end, we prevailed. Tomorrow the ECU pins for the patch harness we created will arrive and hopefully next week this baby will breathe fire finally once our wiring guy shows up and lays in the harness.

We also added a set of headers and mufflers from Cargraphic to give this car the loud snarl it deserves!

I find it all too ironic that I can’t start the car til I wire up the 3rd pedal!!”

Many hours later, the world’s first and only manual 911 GT3 RS was up and running. And it sounds, quite simply, amazing.

All-in-all, it took six months of planning, ordering parts, and hammering out the details to get the job done. We applaud BGB for making the swap look easy, but in reality, it was nothing but. Just getting the car to coexist with components that it isn’t supposed to took countless man hours. And we can’t even imagine how much work went into reprogramming everything.

The fact that the car now functions like a factory fresh manual GT3 RS is a testament to the quality and attention to detail in BGB’s work. Not to mention the tenacity and drive of its owner. After all, most folks lack the resources and/or the fortitude required to complete such a trailblazing project. But Janev’s perseverance and vision have certainly paid off in a big way.

You bet that Porsche will take notice of his pioneering project, if they haven’t already. One thing’s for sure, it got our attention, and the world’s first manual 991 GT3 RS deserves all the praise (and hero worship) it gets.