Manual Transmissions
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Following a report from Motor last week suggesting the next-generation Porsche 911 GT3 would ditch its naturally aspirated flat-6 in favor of a turbocharged engine, Porsche’s head of GT motorsport and GT road cars, Frank-Steffen Walliser, offered a softly worded denial. Speaking to Drive in Australia, Walliser said Porsche plans to hang on to naturally aspirated engines for as long as emission laws and regulations would allow it. However, he didn't flat-out deny the report altogether and said, "I would like to continue with it—it makes the car unique, it’s still a light...
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Will the 2019 Chevy Camaro get the Corvette's 7-speed manual transmission?
The California Air Resources Board may have spoiled one of the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro's surprises. According to a recently filed CARB document, the refreshed 2019 Camaro will add the Chevrolet Corvette's 7-speed manual transmission. AutoGuide first discovered the document last Thursday, and it lists...
Sean Szymkowski -
The 2018 Volkswagen Jetta GLI's manual transmission bites the dust
We hope you weren't planning to #GiveAShift in a shiny new 2018 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. Because you can't. VW has largely carried over its sportiest Jetta into the 2018 model year, albeit with one important change: you can't order it with three pedals. That's right, no manual transmission is offered...
Joel Feder -
Porsche says it won't build hybrids with manual transmissions
Fancy a hybridized Porsche with a manual transmission? Not so fast, says the German luxury and sports car maker. At the debut of the 2019 Porsche Cayenne, the brand said it won't build any hybrid vehicles equipped with a manual gearbox. Road and Track spoke with Dr. Gernot Döllner, who is vice...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota's latest transmission patent is similar to '60s Saab technology
The manual transmission faces an uncertain future. Increasing emissions standards, future safety technology, and dwindling take rates could spell its demise. But a new patent shows Toyota gives a shift, as we like to say, and it could give the manual gearbox an extended lease on life. Roadshow...
Sean Szymkowski -
With new GT3, the automatic vs. manual debate rages, even within Porsche
The third pedal is a third rail. Last week at the 2017 New York auto show, enthusiasts claimed another moral victory as Porsche announced the return of a manual transmission to one of its most coveted models. The 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 will be reunited with a 6-speed manual alongside the 7-speed PDK...
Aaron Cole -
The head of BMW's M division says the future of manual transmissions "doesn't look bright."
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#GiveAShift: The 7 Best Manual Transmissions You Can Drive
Every single day, a sportscar gets overlooked. Abandoned. Rejected. It’s fast, it’s beautiful…but it has a stick shift. Automatics, CVTs, dual-clutches—they find their forever homes while thousands of stick shifts are left behind. It's sad, but it's true. Manual...
Martin Padgett -
Manual Gearbox Thwarts Car Thieves In Massachusetts; Suspects Flee
If you're going to steal a car, don't be stupid. Not that we recommend stealing cars, naturally. But it might be a good idea to make sure you know how to drive the the car you're planning to steal. That's the lesson presumably learned on Tuesday night by three men, one of them said to be carrying a...
John Voelcker -
Porsche Copies Nissan's Playbook, Adds Rev-Matched Downshifting
There is a simple joy in a properly rev-matched manual gearbox downshift that’s near impossible to describe. For a brief moment in time, years of practice blend muscle memory, mechanical motion and precision timing to yield perfect harmony between man and machine. Some manual-transmission...
Kurt Ernst -
Manuals Not Dead At Jaguar: F-Type, Others To Pack Three Pedals: Report
Manual transmissions have been under fire for years now--something like 95 percent of average buyers don't want them, and that's making it harder and harder for the automakers to justify building cars with them at all, even for enthusiast-oriented models. But they're not dead yet at Jaguar. In...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota Electric Sports Car In The Works: Report
Toyota’s made little secret of its desire to inject some spirit into its lineup by adding some sporty new models to its mix of dependable, albeit somewhat dull, sedans, hatchbacks and crossovers. It all started with the launch of the Lexus LFA halo model, followed quickly by the Scion FR-S...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
After years of declining market share, sales of manual transmission cars are oddly on the rise. Take Chevy’s compact Sonic, for example: something like one-in-five leave the dealer’s showroom with a manual transmission. Just a few decades back, learning to drive a manual transmission was an all-but-essential skill for anyone who took driving seriously. Back then, it was easy to find a family friend or neighbor who’d teach you to row your own gears, without the pressure of learning from a parent, brother or sister. Today, finding someone who’s ready, willing and able to...
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Next BMW M5 And M6 Won’t Offer A Manual Transmission
Performance cars are all about performance, except when they're not. In the case of luxury-performance sedans like BMW's M5, there are numerous concessions made to comfort and civility that cost ultimate speed and handling. But the next M5 may make a big concession: no manual transmission, not even...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW Files Patents For Manual Transmission With Seven Or More Gears
Porsche has shown that with a little innovation, the manual transmission can remain relevant in a world where regular automatics and newer dual-clutch units offer faster shifts and better economy. Porsche’s solution was to create a seven-speed manual by modifying the design of its seven-speed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Next BMW M6 To Offer Manual Gearbox Option
When the BMW M6 Convertible and Coupe hit these shores this summer, both will come to market with a 560-horsepower, 4.4-liter V-8 engine shifted through a seven-speed M-DCT gearbox. While the M-DCT will undoubtedly execute smooth and swift gear changes and produce the lowest possible lap times (not...
Kurt Ernst -
Porsche Engineer Predicts Demise Of Manual 911s
The Porsche 911 may no longer come with a three-pedal manual option by the end of the decade.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
U.S.-Spec 2013 BMW M5 With 6-Speed Manual Debuts In Detroit
Probably one of the worst kept secrets of last year was that the new ‘F10’ BMW M5 was going to be offered with a regular six-speed manual transmission, though only for North America. Today, at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the manual-equipped M5 has made its official debut. The car will...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The NHTSA has ended its investigation in shifting issues with Mustang manual transmissions, finding no reason to issue a recall notification.
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2012 Porsche 911 Seven-Speed Manual Shift Pattern: No Surprises Here
Porsche enters new territory with the introduction of the world's first seven-speed manual transmission. Fortunately, the gear pattern is exactly what you'd expect it to be.
Kurt Ernst -
NHTSA Investigating Ford Mustang Over Erratic Manual Transmissions
More than 26,000 Ford Mustangs from the 2011 and 2012 model years have been fitted with the potentially faulty six-speed manual gearbox.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Save The Manuals? Hagerty Insurance Teaches Youth How To Drive A Stick
Hagerty Insurance is giving young drivers the chance to learn how to drive a manual transmission, using classic cars.
Tim Healey -
Lamborghini Killing Manual Transmissions, But Who Cares?
We don't bemoan the loss of Lamborghini's love for manual transmissions, because they're just so un-Lamborghini to begin with.
Nelson Ireson -
2012 BMW M5 Spied With Manual Transmission In U.S.
Going a long way towards confirming previous reports that a third-pedal option would be offered on the 2012 BMW M5, at least in the U.S., this latest image reveals that BMW is testing prototypes on local soil fitted with a conventional manual transmission. The prototype was spotted in Los Angeles...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran