$3.4M car with a stick shift … ?

hank

Interesting Blurb from Bloomberg Media today.

”Established automakers and newcomers alike have been rolling out new car models designed to recapture a visceral connection to driving; the manual transmission. Monterey Car Week, an annual automotive orgy in August, was full of them. Pagani SpA revealed a six-speed transmission in its $3.4 million Utopia roadster; Tuthill Porsche introduced the GT One, a version of Porsche’s 911 GT1 that offers a six-speed manual setup. Aston Martin Lagonda’s $2 million Valour, released in July, likewise pairs a six-speed transmission with its 705-horsepower engine. And there are more.”

Anybody over 75 driving a stick?

Mark

Just an '82 RX-7

hank

Mark said:

Just an '82 RX-7

The 1982 Mazda RX-7 was the lightest generation of the RX-7 ever produced. It has a 1,146 cc (1.1 L) 12A engine that produces 100 hp (75 kW; 101 PS) at 6,000 rpm. The car can reach speeds of over 190 km/h (120 mph).

Old_Joe

No, but I frequently drive my Toyota pickup as if it were a stick. Nice to be able to manually select the gear without the damned clutch. Gives great control in passing or windy or steep grades or very curvy situations. I really like the gear ratios in my Tacoma. In SF there are steep streets that I travel with some frequency that really like 2nd or even low gear going both up and down.

hank

Yeah - OJ. That sounds cool. I didn’t realize Toyota had such an automatic tranny. It is possible to shift most manuals w/o a clutch too (known as “power shifting”). But probably not recommended. (Easier after a couple drinks.)

Shifting a manual without a clutch

BenWP

1993 Nissan 300ZX, not my daily driver, however. I am older than @hank, younger than Old_Joe, and far prefer a stick. The newer automatics in super cars actually provide better performance than manuals, but purists still like three pedals.

Observant1

I'm 61 years old and have owned 9 vehicles in ~44 years.
All my vehicles had a manual transmission (trans).
Cars with manual trans were often quicker and delivered better
fuel economy than the same model equipped with an automatic trans.
This may not hold true today due to auto trans technology improvements.
Manual transmissions are becoming very rare on new vehicles.

Like Mark, I also owned a first-generation RX-7.
The Wankel rotary engine ran very smoothly and it loved to rev.
This engine didn't generate lots of horsepower / torque but its power-to-weight ratio was high.
The car's curb weight was low and the weight distribution was close to 50% front / 50% rear.
The RX-7 handled well and was a real pleasure to drive.
I owned it for ~3 years but unfortunately the car was then stolen.
I later discovered the vehicle was probably "chopped up" for parts.

Derf

Subaru! It comes with both, auto & manual with no clutch. Finger pedals on both sides of steering wheel let one shift up or down. FWIW - cut out shift pedals & lower the cost. I'm not sure if all models have this feature. Forrester Wildness does.

BenWP

@Derf: I believe they are called paddle shifters. My 2019 Odessey has them for optional up or down shifting. Most high performance cars have adopted them, as well. Ferrari has not offered manual for more than 10 years, nor has Jaguar.

Derf

@BenWP I'm wondering how often you use the paddle shifters ? I tried them once or twice & then ask myself why. I'll also take a guess & say 5 to 7% of car with them get used, minus high performance.

BenWP

@Derf: rarely because I drive on flat terrain for the most part. I’m sure you’re right about the low percentage of drivers who use the feature. The Odyssey transmission has 8 or 9 gears to improve economy and smoothness of shifts, has a nice V6 engine, but in a minivan there’s no need to downshift or even to use the Sport mode.

hank

I don’t know what the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters on my Honda Accord are supposed to add. Pretty useless. But hybrids are weird anyway. I do use them to downshift / add drag when approaching a corner. Takes less effort than lifting a foot up on the brake pedal. Don’t remember the setup, but my 2013 Mustang with automatic did have a decent shift-on-the-go feature that added a little fun on curvy roads. Too bad Ford in its quest for better EPA numbers throttled it back by retarding the timing at under 2800 RPM. Lots of HP “on paper” but lacked guts off the line - being knee capped.