1. By Mitchell Weitzman
The Tragedy of the Manual Gearshift
Let’s face it; the manual transmission is in its twilight years. Slowly, car
manufacturers across the globe have already started to phase out the once
beloved choice of enthusiasts—Ferrari and Lamborghini don’t even offer one
anymore. For the most part, they’ve become relegated to cheap economy cars
as the base transmission choice, as automatics are always an optional extra—to
keep a car cheap manuals are standard. It seems in the modern world of
smartphones less and less are interested in the ancient art and trade of rowing
your own gears. And to be honest, most new automatics are more efficient than
their manual counterparts, giving quicker shifts and increasing fuel economy
whilst lowering emissions. Most new cars in showrooms, even for those cars that
still come with manuals, are all automatics, as dealers know autos are more
desired. Also, because automatics are optional extras, they cost more, helping to
raise prices of cars for the automakers. On a Porsche 911 a dual-clutch auto
tranny is several thousand dollars more than the no-cost standard manual. That’s
some serious extra profit for sure. Maybe it’s a conspiracy to make more money.
Yes, these new fancy dual-clutch systems can shift lightning-quick, which is
important on a track racing, but how many people are actually racing their sports
cars? Even out on a track chasing lap-times, I would still want a manual M4 over
the faster DCT car. Why? Because even out on the track, driving is supposed to
be fun, and I’m going to get that joy by carving synchromesh, double-clutching,
and heel-toeing. That is where a lot of driving pleasure comes from for me. A
track-day is not racing after all; it’s just driving fast on a circuit to have fun and
explore the limits of your car. There is no way you can warrant your DSG/DCT
over a manual because you’re planning on doing some track time. Only if you’re
actually doing actual competitive racing can you justify the choice where the
quickest lap times and autocross runs are necessary. Back in the day you
needed a manual because automatics were just too damn slow. Remember the
days of manual F1 cars? Do yourself a favor and watch onboard footage of
Senna driving at Monaco, and pay special attention to his right hand shifting his
own gears. It’s the stuff of legend, offering a greater challenge than newer F1
cars that only require a pull of a paddle.
Out on the street though, I do believe that many just care less and less about
driving now; most see shifting gears as a burden. And in cheap boring mobile
human-transporters, people just want to get from A to B with as little fuss as
possible, and a manual would just get in the way. Maybe people think they just
don’t have time to shift gears, being more concerned with their Spotify playlist.
Truth be told, the moment I get into a new boring Civic and discover it’s a
manual, it suddenly becomes that much more fun and interesting to drive. Sure
it’s slow, but that extra element of connectivity gives a sense of fun that would
otherwise be missing. It can make a dreary car almost fun.

2. I will truly be sad the day I realize that I can’t buy any new car with a manual.
When that dystopia becomes reality I might even decide to never buy a new car
as result. Until then, I’ll savior every moment I can with my manual and clutch
pedal. And every time I check out some parked Corvette or 911 on the street,
whenever I see that glowing H-pattern inside I still get a smile each time knowing
this guy is a hero. Drive a manual, be a hero.