Porsche appears increasingly serious about bringing a convincing fake manual gearbox to its future performance cars. The German automaker has now filed a third patent for the technology with the European Patent Office.
The first patent surfaced in March, followed by another in September. Interestingly, technical sketches linked to the upcoming Mission S supercar also appear to show similar hardware.
Porsche isn’t simply copying Ferrari‘s approach, though. Its latest patent focuses on the actuator connected to the shift lever, with the company exploring magnetorheological technology. They use magnetic fields and special fluids to vary resistance, which may make the simulated gear changes feel more natural.
The system could even adjust its behaviour depending on conditions. For example, a cold transmission could deliver rougher, more noticeable shifts, making the experience feel less artificial.
The patent describes magnetorheological actuators as a preferred solution, so there is no guarantee they will reach production. Still, three patents suggest Porsche is putting serious effort into making an automatic gearbox feel surprisingly manual.
Source: Car Buzz
