Porsche’s sports cars have long been the gold standard for manual transmissions in their classes. The witchcraft that the folks in Stuttgart have been able to perform that’s made cable-actuated shifters feel this good is almost scary. The current and more or less final iterations of the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman platforms are no exception to this rule.
The manual gearbox is a six-speed unit, rather than the seven-speed found in the 911, but distinct from the six-speed box found in the GT3. The ratios are typical of Porsche (read: longer than is ideal) but the shifter is sublime and the clutch is manageable. The whole setup pairs best with the 4.0-liter flat-six, but things aren’t bad in the four-cylinder versions either.
In production since: 1996
Top powertrain option: 4.0-liter six-cylinder (GTS 4.0)
Power: 394 hp and 309 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8
Top speed: 179 mph
Starting price: $74,795
From the article by Kyle Hyatt, Bryan Hood
