Porsche Brings Back the Manual 911, Just Not for Europe: What It Means for Buying a Stick-Shift Used Car in Italy

A seven-speed gearbox built to survive

On August 14, 2026, during Monterey Car Week, Porsche unveiled the 911 Carrera S with the MT Package: a 473-hp configuration built around a seven-speed manual gearbox, paired with PASM Sport suspension, rear-axle steering, Sport Chrono and centre-lock wheels [1][2]. Deliveries start before the end of 2026, and orders are already open at dealers.

There's a catch that matters directly to anyone reading this from the Italian market, though: the MT Package is North America only. In Europe, the 992.2 Carrera S continues to be sold exclusively with the PDK automatic [3]. That's not a minor technical footnote, it's a precise snapshot of where the manual gearbox stands in 2026, and it explains why, in Italy, the smartest place to actually find one is the used-car market.

Why Porsche is doing it anyway

Porsche doesn't hide that this is a niche call driven by enthusiast demand that skews heavily North American, where requests for manual-equipped 911s have stayed proportionally far higher than elsewhere [1][2]. It's the same line the company has repeated for years: it will keep offering manual transmissions for as long as real demand and regulation allow it. The trouble is that real demand isn't evenly spread. In Europe, between emissions homologation costs and thin volumes, the business case for Stuttgart simply doesn't clear the bar.

Italy's paradox: gone from the price list, alive on the road

The Porsche story is the visible tip of a much broader trend. A CarGurus study conducted in the UK, reported by Italian outlet alVolante in March 2026, found that of roughly 300 models surveyed, only 67 still offer at least one manual variant, down from 82 the year before, and 225 models are now automatic-only [4]. That figure is British, not Italian, but the direction is the same across Europe: dual-clutch gearboxes arrived first, then hybrids that manage their own transmission, then EVs with no gears at all, and manual sticks have been squeezed off price lists step by step.

In Italy, though, the manual gearbox hasn't disappeared, and a handful of new models still offer it. AlVolante's own Italian-market list includes, among sports cars, the BMW M2, M3 and M4, the Porsche 911 itself, the Lotus Emira, and the Toyota GR Yaris and Supra; among mainstream models, the Fiat Grande Panda, 500, Pandina and Tipo, the Hyundai Bayon, i10, i20 and Tucson, and the Dacia Duster, Sandero and Jogger [4]. The list gets shorter every year, but for now it holds, mostly on city cars and superminis, where a manual box is still the cheapest way in.

Manual vs. automatic on the used market: which one holds its value

Here's the number that should actually matter to anyone buying or selling a used car in Italy. An analysis published by Frattin Auto on June 22, 2026, covering C-segment (Golf, Focus, Astra) and D-segment (Passat, Mondeo, Mégane) cars, found that a used automatic resells for 15-20% more on average than an equivalent manual version, and sells faster [7]. It isn't only about preference: a manual gearbox is mechanically simpler and cheaper to fix (a clutch job still costs less than replacing an automatic's mechatronic unit), but it's perceived as less convenient in city traffic, and demand for automatics now outstrips supply.

For sellers, that means setting realistic price expectations on a manual car. For buyers, it's an opportunity: like-for-like, a used manual consistently costs less, and on a sports car or a simple city car it can even be the mechanically sturdier choice over the long run.

The driving-licence trap almost nobody checks

There's one specifically Italian wrinkle that anyone selling a manual car should verify before handing over the keys for a test drive: restriction code 78. Anyone who passed their B-category practical test in an automatic car gets a licence valid only for automatic vehicles, with the EU code 78 stamped on the back [5]. Driving a manual car on that licence counts, under Italy's Highway Code, as driving without the right authorisation for that vehicle type, and it can mean a fine if you're stopped [6].

The good news is the restriction isn't permanent: a new practical test in a manual car removes code 78, with no need to retake the theory exam [5]. But it's a detail more and more new drivers overlook, as more driving schools default to teaching on automatics, pushed along by the spread of hybrids and EVs with no gear lever at all [6]. Anyone selling a used manual, especially to a newly licensed buyer, should ask upfront what kind of licence the buyer actually holds.

What to check before buying a used manual

Mechanically, the checklist hasn't changed, but it's worth repeating: clutch feel (a pedal that engages too high or too low signals wear), any metallic noise in neutral that points to a worn release bearing, how cleanly the gears shift cold and warm, and the condition of the gearbox oil, which standard services often skip. On a car past 150,000 km, always ask when the clutch was last replaced, it's a job that runs from a few hundred to over a thousand euros depending on the model, and its cost should always come off the asking price if it hasn't been done recently.

The practical takeaway

The manual gearbox isn't vanishing from Italian roads, it's becoming a more deliberate choice. Buyers chasing a new one have fewer options every year, and the 911's MT Package is the most visible proof of that. Buyers shopping used, on the other hand, find a market with less competing demand, friendlier prices, and, when the mechanicals have been looked after, reliability that's hard to beat. The one extra thing to check in Italy is pure paperwork: make sure whoever's driving, or buying, the car actually holds the right licence. Whether you're selling your own manual car or hunting for one on VendiVoce, that's a check worth making before the test drive, not after.

Sources

[1] Porsche Newsroom USA, Three pedals. Six speeds. Endless smiles. The manual 911 Carrera S returns to North America, August 14, 2026, https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2026/products/three-pedals-six-speeds-endless-smiles-the-manual-911-carrera-s-returns-to-north-america.html

[2] Quattroruote.it, Porsche 911 Carrera S: torna il cambio manuale con l'MT Package, August 14, 2026, https://www.quattroruote.it/news/nuovi-modelli/2026/08/14/porsche_911_manuale.html

[3] Motor1.com, 2027 Porsche 911 Carrera S Manual: Full Price And Details, August 14, 2026, https://www.motor1.com/news/804726/2027-porsche-911-carrera-s-manual-package/

[4] alVolante.it, Il cambio manuale sta sparendo: ecco quali auto ce l'hanno ancora, March 30, 2026, https://www.alvolante.it/news/il-cambio-manuale-sta-sparendo-ecco-dove-si-trova-ancora-412907

[5] alVolante.it, Esame della patente con cambio automatico o manuale: le regole, September 29, 2025, https://www.alvolante.it/da_sapere/esame-patente/esame-della-patente-cambio-automatico-e-manuale-cosa-cambia-402165

[6] Il Mattino, Non puoi guidare un'auto col cambio manuale se hai preso la patente con l'automatico: cosa dice il Codice della Strada, May 26, 2026, https://www.ilmattino.it/primopiano/cronaca/non_puoi_guidare_auto_cambio_manuale_patente_cambio_automatico_codice_strada-9555533.html

[7] Frattin Auto, Cambio Manuale o Automatico sull'Usato: Costi, Affidabilità e Valore, June 22, 2026, https://frattinauto.it/blog/cambio-manuale-o-automatico/