Manual – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com Latest car news and advice blog Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:07:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://engineicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-ME_favicon-1-32x32.png Manual – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com 32 32 Special manual 911 GT3 celebrates Porsche’s 75th anniversary in Britain https://engineicon.com/special-manual-911-gt3-celebrates-porsches-75th-anniversary-in-britain/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:39:39 +0000 https://engineicon.com/special-manual-911-gt3-celebrates-porsches-75th-anniversary-in-britain/

Porsche really knows how to celebrate a milestone. To mark 75 years in Britain, the brand has unveiled the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition. It is a UK-exclusive model. And with just 51 units available, it is as rare as it is desirable.

The name of this special manual 911 traces back to 1951, when Porsche first showcased the 356 at London’s Earls Court Motor Show. That moment laid the foundation for the brand’s journey in the UK, and this GT3 Touring-based tribute carries that story forward.

Porsche-911-GT3-Earls-Court-Edition

Finished in a bespoke Earls Court Green metallic shade from the Paint to Sample Plus palette, this Porsche 911 looks both classic and fresh. Subtle silver accents across the bonnet, mirrors, and door handles add contrast, while unique dual-tone wheels – 20-inch up front and 21-inch at the rear – complete the stance.

On the inside, Porsche has used Night Green leather to wrap key touchpoints, and Chalk Beige upholstery and elegant Paldao wood trims. It feels neat, tailored, and apt – not overdone.

Porsche-911-GT3-Earls-Court-Edition

For making this special 911 move, it’s business as usual. The 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six delivers 503 hp and revs past 9,000 rpm, paired exclusively with a manual gearbox here. Porsche is charging $338,000 (£251,951) for a piece, and considering its limited availability, both in terms of numbers and area-wise, it should be off the shelves pretty quickly.

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2025 BMW Z4 M40i Review — Add Manual For Max Fun https://engineicon.com/2025-bmw-z4-m40i-review-add-manual-for-max-fun/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:31:11 +0000 https://engineicon.com/2025-bmw-z4-m40i-review-add-manual-for-max-fun/ Published:  September 30th, 2025

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Porsche patent’s Koenigsegg-style manual shifter for auto transmission https://engineicon.com/porsche-patents-koenigsegg-style-manual-shifter-for-auto-transmission/ Thu, 19 Mar 2026 01:22:09 +0000 https://engineicon.com/porsche-patents-koenigsegg-style-manual-shifter-for-auto-transmission/

Porsche is aware that its customers love the manual transmission. However, the advanced PDK does a much better job than a human being. So, how do you create a transmission that offers the best of both worlds – a slick dual-clutch automatic with an engaging driving experience of a manual?

Actually, Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg has already thought about this. The company introduced a 9-speed automatic transmission on the CC850, which comes with a 6-speed gated shifter.

Porsche auto-manual gearbox shifter patent

In a bid to replicate the same functionality, Porsche has filed a patent described as a “gear selector device for selecting gears of a motor vehicle transmission”. Instead of a mechanical linkage, it uses shift-by-wire.

Even though the manual transmission is going out of fashion, it’s popular among enthusiasts. Porsche is among the few automakers that offer a manual option in their sports cars. Currently, the Carrera T, Boxster and Cayman models are available with a manual transmission option.

Source: Autoexpress

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Shelby’s New GT350/TA Is a Manual Mustang Rarer Than the GTD https://engineicon.com/shelbys-new-gt350-ta-is-a-manual-mustang-rarer-than-the-gtd/ Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:49:24 +0000 https://engineicon.com/shelbys-new-gt350-ta-is-a-manual-mustang-rarer-than-the-gtd/

No matter how you like your Mustang, there’s something for everyone, and Shelby American just added to the available offerings with the 2026 Shelby GT350/TA, a street-legal supercharged ‘Stang with more power than a GTD and several upgrades intended to make it the ideal track day toy. As the name implies, the car is inspired by the Trans Am road racing series and various Fords that competed therein, and just 70 will be made for the 2026 model year, making it rarer than the Mustang GTD or any current Corvette. Limited editions are rarely cheap, and this one is no different, as we’ll discuss shortly, but the GT350/TA comes exclusively with something that almost no rival does: a manual transmission.

Supercharged GT350/TA Makes Big Power

Shelby American

Like the other Shelby Mustangs revealed recently (Super Snake and GT350), the GT350/TA is based on the Mustang GT, which means a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 under the hood that is just begging to be supercharged. Shelby has duly obliged with the help of Whipple, boosting output to over 830 hp. But making power means nothing if you can’t use it, so Shelby has also fitted an intercooler along with its extreme engine cooling package. A high-flow exhaust with four black tips has been installed to let the engine breathe better, and the half shafts have been upgraded to ensure the extra power doesn’t result in implosion. Thinking along the same lines, hardened extended wheel studs have been fitted to Forgeline VX1S racing wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires. Behind the gloss black wheels, Pro-System Alcom Trans Am Cup brakes have been fitted.

Shelby American


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Shelby also took the time to fit fully adjustable coilovers with remote reservoirs, upgraded rear shock absorbers, new adjustable sway bars front and rear, and an upgraded limited-slip differential with a remote pump and heat exchanger – all of which are designed to sustain lengthy periods of abuse on track. The manual transmission gets a short-throw shifter, and the hood is an aluminum piece with carbon fiber vents. Shelby also replaced the front bumper with its new fascia and grille, while the back is made more aggressive with a new rear deck. Opt for the aero package, and you get carbon fiber splitters, dive planes, grille inserts, side skirt extensions, and a massive adjustable rear wing atop a ducktail carbon fiber trunk lid. A carbon fiber rear diffuser with an integrated cooler for the diff also appears, and various graphics finish off the tuned look.

More Carbon Fiber Inside

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The instrument panel trims have been skinned in carbon fiber, too, as have the door panel trims and the console surround, while the console itself is wrapped in leather. Speaking of, the seats feature Shelby embroidery, and the cabin is further uplifted with a carbon fiber shifter handle, GT350/TA badges, a serialized dash panel, and Shelby-branded floor mats and sill plates. The most noteworthy interior upgrade is a 4130 Chrome Moly Tig-welded four-point cage. The 2026 Shelby GT350/TA comes in Race Red, Grabber Blue, Shadow Black, Oxford White, Carbonized Gray metallic, and Orange Fury, and pricing starts at $219,995 (based on a 2026 Mustang GT 401A at $55,975 and Shelby’s package at $164,020). For not very much more, you could have a 911 GT3 RS ($250,000), or for a little less, you could have a Corvette ZR1X ($209,700), but neither of those cars comes with a manual transmission, nor the whine of a supercharger.

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