Save the Manuals....Please!!

A while back Car&Driver had an article and started a campaign called "Save the Manuals." Their writers were concerned that everything being built whether an econobox or a Supercar, had an automatic transmission or a CVT. Some models had no manual transmission option. Especially among high-performance cars and sports cars, they encouraged people to buy the manual trans models, citing that regardless of numbers, the manuals were much more fun to drive. I have to agree. A big part of what makes a Honda S2000 or a Mazda Miata so damn much fun to drive is their slick-shifting, close-ratio six-speed manual transmissions. Ditto for the Nissan 370Z. The "Z" boasts 332 hp from it's V6 engine, which moves the sleek two seater along with quite a bit of alarcity. I have driven the 7-speed automatic models and the six-speed manuals. Without electronic timing equipment-i.e.-using the "seat of the pants" barometer-I'd say any difference in performance is negligible. In a 0-60 or 1/4 mile drag race it would probably be too close to call. However the fun factor of the manual is off the charts. Especially with the "rev-matching" feature. Normally I hate any electronic device that intrude's on the driver's control, but I like this one, because it can make any slob look and sound like the long-lost Andretti brother. When the driver downshifts quickly, the car automatically "blips" the throttle to make the shift smoother. Back in the day-experienced Porsche 911 drivers and even Triumph and MG drivers would brag about their ability to do this when driving fast and using the "heel and toe" method to work the pedals. It sounds cool and really does make the shift smoother if you do it right, but it takes a lot of practice to get good at it. With the 370Z, the car helps you look like Denny Hamlin. Now-wait for it-guys are going to bluster-"Yeah with any 4-banger or V6 the stick is going to be more fun, but with a big V8...."  Nope, sorry guys the sticks win there too. I had two "Smokey and the Bandit" T/A's back in the early '80's. The 400, 4-speed model was way more fun than the 403 / TH350 model. Of course-you say-the 3.42:1 geared 4-speed Pontiac could smite the 2.56:1 geared slushbox Olds model in biblical fashion. In bone-stock trim, yes. But the 403 model had headers and real dual exhausts, a Holley "Street Dominator" intake, and a TransGo shift kit. It would run 14.9's all day, and my all-time best was a 14.78. Using magazine road tests from '77-79 as a guide-1/4 mile times for the 400, 4-speed models ranged from 14.61 ( Hot Rod ) to 15.30 ( Car&Driver ). My car obviously fell smack-dab in the middle of those times, so the stick wasn't really noticeably faster in a drag race, but it was way more fun. In fact- a friend had a DKM modified "Macho T/A" at the same time. It was a 400 Pontiac / TH350 model. It had the "Macho" mods of a re-curved distributor, opened hood scoop and re-jetted carb, and Hooker Headers and real dual exhausts ( with 2 Catylitic Converters ). It also had a TransGo shift kit, but it had a 3.23:1 axle ratio. It would walk away from a stock 4-speed model by two or three car lengths in a drag race. Yet, the owner of the "Macho" freely admitted the stick was more fun, and wished his car had one!  I concur. My brother's GTO is probably every bit as fast as my Judge was, but it's an automatic. Speed ? Too Close to call. Thrills ?  Judge, hands down, end of story.  That 4-speed, 4.33:1 geared monster would rip your head off in any gear any time you punched it. I had a couple of friends in high school-both had 1970 SS396 Chevelles. One was a 4-speed, the other a TH400. They drag raced a lot, and it was usually too close to call, unless one of them spun the tires too much on launch. Both driver's agreed the Rock-Crusher was more fun than the slushbox, even though it wasn't any faster. I knew two brothers who were both Mopar guys. One had a neat 273, 4-speed '67 Barracuda Convertible. The other had a '70 340 / Torqueflite Dart. The 340 Dart was quicker in drag race, but the Barracuda was much more fun to drive. The same goes for modern cars. Car&Driver raved that Aston-Martin built a V12 Vantage with a 7-speed stick and no electronic nannys. It would spin the tires in 3rd gear at 60 mph, and was an absolute blast to drive. Yes the automatic equipped, electronic nanny-laden Porsche 911 and Nissan GTR were both quicker in a drag race and around Willow Springs Raceway-but they felt dead and antiseptic even if they were blisteringly fast. The Aston-Martin made you feel like Richard Petty or A.J. Foyt. I drove my friend's 2015 ZO6 Corvette. It is undgodly fast. And the 8-speed automatic transmission works flawlessly. Depending on speed, it will snap from 6th to 3rd or whatever with eyeblink speed when you punch it. I've driven 416 hp Lexus ISF's that run high 12's in the 1/4. Do we really need 8 or 10 gears? Yes, it delivers the power seamlessly, and the car is really fast.  A 414 hp six-speed manual BMW M3 has performance numbers almost identical to the Lexus. However the BMW blows it away on the fun factor. The transmission shifts flawlessly, and the sound of a V8 when you bang a shift at 7,500 rpm??? ( It's redlined at 8,400!!! ). The BMW rips ass and revels in it; the Lexus acts like it's annoyed at such shenanigans, even though it's capable of them. A buddy of mine is a Service Writer in a Dodge Dealership. He says the 375 hp base-model 5.7 Hemi Challenger with a six-speed manual is an absolute blast to drive, even more fun than the automatic 465 hp SRT8 model, even though it has nearly 100 more hp. In fact-he says-although the 707 hp Hellcat versions of the Charger and Challenger are defintely "King Kong" when it comes to speed-away from the track where can you safely open one up?  He honestly says if he won the lottery tomorrow he wouldn't buy a Hellcat; he'd get a Challenger R/T with the base Hemi and a six-speed or maybe a Challenger T/A with the 392 and a six-speed so he can live out his Kowalski fantasies. I can't argue with that. A guy I worked with had a '69 Gran Prix with a 428 and a 4-speed. It had A/C, power windows, locks, seats, etc. When you drove it it felt like a GTO!  Another guys 454 / TH400 Monte Carlo was nearly as fast-but it felt like an overpowered Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Not the same feeling. So whether your buying an old car or a new one, save the manuals!!! Mastermind