Porsche 911 GT3 RS Dumps Manual, Could Go 4.0: Report

According to US magazine Automobile, the next generation of Porsche's 911 GT3 RS will follow the GT3's lead by dropping its manual transmission.

The news isn't especially surprising given the precedent set by the 911 GT3 (pictured), which went auto-only when the 991-generation GT3 launched in March this year.

Besides being able to change gear faster than a driver-actuated manual, the 991 GT3's twin-clutch automatic transmission also contains the oil pump for the car's sophisticated torque-apportioning rear differential.

According to Automobile, the expense of engineering a new manual gearbox to run that pump would have been prohibitively expensive - especially considering the end product would likely be slower than a PDK-equipped GT3 RS.

The 2014 GT3 RS is expected to exploit the 991 platform's modular construction and substitute a carbon-fibre roof for the GT3's aluminium item, while the rest of the bodywork will be based on the ultra-wide 911 Turbo instead of the not-so-wide Carrera 4 shell used by the GT3.