Interesting Article on AOL Autos...

Pharmacist

manual transmissions have been dying for a while now. until recently they were restricted to 2 niches, high performance sports and super cars required them because they performed better than auto slushboxes. on the opposite end of the spectrum, they were also common on entry level economy cars because they were cheaper and more fuel efficient. modern technology has rendered both points moot. auto gearboxes now are just as cheap and efficient as manual boxes for economy cars. and modern double clutch automated gearboxes shift faster and better than any manual transmission, so they are now ubiquitous among supercars, most of which rarely come with a conventional manual anymore. ferrari for example doesn't even offer them anymore.

the only arguement left in favor of manual transmissions after the recent technological upgrades to automated transmissions, is the fun to drive factor. whether or not this alone will ensure enough strong demand to keep the manual gearbox alive we will find out in the next few years. like it or not, that is technology, and that is progress. that's how humanity moves forward. everything eventually gets replaced by something better, faster, more efficient, and more advanced. i'm sure half a century ago the addition of synchronizers and therefore single clutching shifts also made manual drivers feel the same about the lack of "fun" and the "dying art" of double clutching.

on the other hand, in 2010 some people still believe that a sports car with a solid rear axle is cool So, maybe manual transmissions will not disappear completely. Heck, maybe the 2020 mustang will be the only car of its era with a manual transmission at least i hope they would have gotten rid of the solid axle

kdoske

lol, Awesome! What is up with mustangs anyway? I know what you mean, everything about them seems a good 5+ years behind--even the new one that just came out.

Jeffblue

Yea agreed. This is a spy shot of the 2012

IDZRVIT

Goes around turns like it's on rails!!!! Wait, it is on rails!!!!

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blackflag

Hello, my name is Blackflag, and I'm in love with manual transmission cars.

Is that wrong of me..?