A deep-purple 911, pale wheels and a walnut gear knob. Porsche’s new Carrera S with MT Package makes an excellent case for losing an evening to the configurator.

Porsche has brought the manual gearbox back to the Carrera S for North America. Announced at Monterey Car Week on August 13, the 2027 model pairs a six-speed transmission with rear-wheel drive, in coupe and Cabriolet forms. It feels like an unusually persuasive answer to the question every expensive sports car has to face: what would make you take it out when you have nowhere to be?

The detail you keep coming back to

Look at the launch specification. The exterior has enough color to reward a second glance without needing a giant graphic along the doors. Inside, the walnut shifter gives your hand somewhere specific to go. Optional plaid seat centers add another texture worth paying attention to.

The detail works because you use it. A shift knob becomes part of every drive: your hand finds it, you choose a gear, and the car asks for a little coordination. Finishing that object in wood makes sense in a way that another decorative strip of carbon fiber rarely does. The optional plaid carries the same idea through the cabin: there is something here to enjoy at a standstill.

Our specification would keep the deep paint and lighter wheels. That restrained combination gives the familiar 911 shape plenty of presence. Adding more visual drama would feel unnecessary.

Plenty underneath the pretty spec

The MT Package includes rear-axle steering, Sport Chrono, lowered PASM Sport suspension and center-lock wheels. Porsche quotes 473 horsepower from the twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-six and a coupe curb weight of 3,327 pounds. Porsche’s announcement has the full equipment list.

Those details make the package worth watching. Whether the steering, pedals and gearbox deliver the experience the photographs promise is something a proper drive needs to establish. This is an editorial first look; we have not driven it.

There is also a useful question hanging over the S: how much more car would you actually want? Porsche already gives the Carrera T a manual transmission and a deliberate emphasis on reduced weight. The S has to justify its place beside that existing enthusiast favorite. The extra hardware makes an interesting argument, but an equipment list cannot settle which one you would enjoy more on your favorite road.

An expensive reason to keep dreaming

U.S. pricing starts at $167,100 for the coupe and $181,000 for the Cabriolet, plus a $2,350 delivery, processing and handling fee. Options, taxes and other charges are extra. Porsche expects deliveries by the end of 2026.

At that price, the Carrera S needs to create occasions. An early start. A coffee stop picked for the road that leads to it. A reason to put the phone away and pay attention to what your hands and feet are doing. That is a compelling promise for a car to make, and the one we would want to test.

If we were making room for one more car in the imaginary garage, this would get a space. In purple.

Image: Porsche Cars North America / Porsche Newsroom. Manufacturer photography; optional equipment shown.