The next Porsche 911 will have a seven-speed manual transmission - a world first for a production car.
Although Porsche hasn't officially announced it, a teaser video released by the company of the next generation 911 in development appears to show a seven-speed pattern on the gearstick top. to watch it.
Unless it's a strange ruse on behalf of Porsche, that seems to confirm that a seven-speed manual is ready to go when the new 911 debuts in 2012.
Using seven forward ratios is not unusual in a modern automatic - some even have eight now - but a seven-speed manual is groundbreaking. It will no doubt be designed to improve fuel economy, though shorter gear ratios will benefit performance, too.
The video also shows glimpses of the new 911's interior, which takes cues from the Panamera and Cayenne. There's a taller, more angled centre console with symmetrically aligned buttons.
The overall shape of the car is plain to see - and pretty similar to the current 911- but details like the lights and bumpers are still under wraps for now.
The new Porsche 911 is already courting controversy, as a story broke recently of a development mule catching fire during testing. Porsche has not commented on the incident yet, probably to avoid fanning the flames - to dampen the situation.
