If you are a Porsche fan living in California and happened to order this year’s 911 GT3 six-speed manual option, your voluntary transaction has been nullified.
“The seven-speed PDK gearbox will be the only transmission offered in California with the 911 GT3,” Porsche announced in a news release, according to Car and Driver.
Its six-speed manual option is outlawed.
The prohibition stems from California’s drive-by noise test. While the automatic passes, the manual fails — but not because of the car’s inherent noise level. Instead, the state employs a flawed testing method.
California’s Code of Regulations stipulates that each vehicle must pass a test produced by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The testing methods are intricate, measuring a vehicle’s highest noise level by size, horsepower, peak acceleration rate and gearing.
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