Porsche tells the story of the PDK transmission, dating back to the 1960s

Porsche tells the story of its step into the future.

Today, Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission is well established in the brand. It has proven itself competent when used in high-performance cars and has the ability to shift gears quicker and easier than even the most experienced user of a manual transmission, and while we car enthusiasts will always be drawn to for authenticity and gearstick control, there’s a lot to be said for the engineering, innovation and implications that the arrival of the PDK has had on the automotive world.

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Back in the 1980s, the idea of ​​a transmission like the PDK was a much higher concept than it is today. However, Rainer Wüst, the technical director at the time responsible for the development of the PDK, found transmission development prototypes by engineering genius Imre Szodfridt even before then, and by the late 1960s Szodfridt had already introduced the concept of a dual-clutch transmission for Ferdinand Piech. Once the prototype was found and adapted, it was mounted on a Porsche 944 Turbo which was successfully tested. The 956 was the next car to be used to test the PDK, and it was on this test mule that Wüst executed the idea of ​​putting the gear levers on the steering wheel to make driving even faster and easier. Before the team knew it, the PDK entered the world of racing and rallying, and in the 2000s it finally broke into Porsche road cars and became one of the most important contributions to dynamism and performance of the best modern Porsche creations.

Source: Porsche

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