California bans new manual Porsche GT3, deems the stick-shift 'too loud'

Buyers of the new 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 in the US state of California have been forced to drive the dual-clutch automatic only as the state's Highway Patrol deemed the manual too loud.

A Porsche statement regarding the new GT3 Touring said prospective Californian buyers can only purchase the upcoming manual rear-engined sports car with the PDK 'box, with customers who have already purchased a manual have been given the opportunity to still have the GT3 with the dual clutch – free of charge – or cancel their order.

The new GT3 was launched in February this year, retaining the options of a seven-speed PDK or six-speed manual gearbox, while the new GT3 Touring is being made available with the PDK for the first time, both featuring the same 4.0-litre flat-six engine making 375kW and 470Nm.

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California's fun police have taken away the fun stick from Porsche's 992 GT3

The trouble stems from one of California's many environmental regulation laws, known as the SAE J1470 test procedure. First created in 1992 and last revised in 1998, its purpose was to test noise levels emitted while under acceleration in a car's immediate gears, utilising all of the rev range.

This method was superseded by the updated J2805 test which is undertaken during urban driving scenarios, factoring in all noise sources of a vehicle, with which both the PDK and manual GT3 are compliant.

However, although the J2805 testing procedure was introduced in 2020, it hasn't been implemented yet, meaning the GT3 manual does not yet pass the noise regulations to be sold in the Golden State, though the PDK auto does.

The GT3 is understood to have passed the new test in both transmission variants but ran out of time for it to be implemented before the 992's arrival, forcing Porsche to pull the 2022 model manuals from the Californian market.

If the testing regulation is updated before the release of the 2023 GT3 is released in California, the manual will again be available to purchase.