I drive with two hands on the wheel 90% of the time. Really. Thumbs on the thumb rests, ready to shift with either hand (though I usually shift with my right)... Only rarely will I actually rest one arm on an armrest while cruising on the interstate... But when I'm "sport driving", in twisties, both hands are ALWAYS on the wheel... and I think it's better. And I don't think anyone can rationally argue that you have better control of your car on the twisties with a manual... though they will certainly attempt to do so irrationally.

 

...so true.

 

and that car only had paddles. Computer controlled clutchs. Talk about an "engaging" ride!

Just something to think about...

Matt

 

I hafta try to disagree, with a manual you can jump from 4th to second gear while dounle clutching heel-toe downshifting before a turn keep both your hands on the wheel into the turn. or actually sometimes you need the torque to get you back in line or kick clutch to get the car to rotate more... lol... this is hard but manual does have its advantages. This is coming from an experienced SMG driver in both an e46 m3 and an m5... the smg is waaay easier to control but what is the fun in that? haha

 

Or I can flex my thumb muscle. Twice.... doesn't sound nearly as cool. But accomplishes the same thing....

 

When I was talking about people driving autos rarely having two hands on the wheel I was talking about the conventional auto, not paddle shifters! I should have specified. Cars with paddle shifters are very fun indeed, and it is engaging, for sure.

P.S. Dr. can you please stop bragging about all of the hot cars you've driven? (jealous....)

 

yes, but it has a slushbox!

 

I just hope they continue to give us a choice. It's really hard to find a car with a manual transmission (in the US anyway), and it's even more rare to find that manual transmission attached to the biggest or most powerful powerplant available on that car. This is where I think MINIs shine, they give the buyer a choice.

I will admit that some of the newest slushbox trannies are quite a feat of engineering. I'd still rather have a traditional manual gearbox as I just like the feeling that *I* ultimately decide what gear the car is in, along with the unrefined, archaic feel of having old technology delivering power from the engine to the wheels.

 

Bah. It hasn't been fun since they put syncros in manual transmissions.

 

Yep. New-fangled technology is taking all the skill / engagement out of the driving experience.

 

it hasn't been fun since there was a crank sticking out the front and you did the timing with a lever on the steering wheel!

But slushbox isn't really correct for a lot of these cars. Many still have a fluid coupling, but some do not. the MC12 has no fluid coupling. This is where cars will go...

But as all this stuff comes on line, the cars surely are more capable. I'm looking at a late fifties alfa....

Matt

 

I feel like most BBCs and the like have autos attatched to them. For that type of application I'd probably rather have an auto. Bring on the powerglide!

 

I agree..... the hubby just bought a Sky Redline, and they only had ONE manual on the lot! WTF? How could anyone buy a sporty, little turbo car without a MT??????

I believe all 4 of the ponies in our stables are manual

 

Well Saturn is a GM brand which caters mostly to the U.S., and because most Americans do not want a stick then they won't produce many of them. You would think that ample market research would have been done on this to warrant only ONE manual tranny on the lot.

 

True.
If someone was in the market for a sports car, you should offer more than one manual option.

 

Sad but true.

 

C'mon, guys. It's America. Having to put down your latte just to change gears -that's sooo old school.

 

Not a problem for me. I wear a latte helmet.

 

You've had some hilarious posts in this thread Blimey.

 

Ouch! We been punned!

 

I bet that latte helmet costs less then the Starbucks latte that you put in there!

 

Tru Dat.

 

BC, do these come with white tops?

 

I sell white vinyl roofs as a dealer-installed option. You don't want to know the price.

 

Well, I'm guessing that with those vinyl vortex generators it'll probably handle real well. Might be worth a small ransom. Gimme a couple of days to go plunder a small country.