TommyDeVito

Love the design, looks, engine location, etc. Never have liked GM or Vette interiors. Never bought one either. But the lack of 6MT is a deal killer for me. I think it’s an outstanding performance car (especially the Z06) however so I have high respect for it. I don’t buy into the car is too fast, must have DSG or the equivalent because I have no issues shifting gears manually on my sportbikes that make sports cars look silly in comparison. Thankfully Porsche is still offering manual transmissions. Save the manuals. No manual, no sale.

TheDonEffect

To clarify, for me, it's not that if a car is too fast it must be an auto, I never said that. Instead, I said faster the car gets, the less desire I have for it be a manual. You're probably Valentino Rossi and Ayrton Senna, but I'm not, and really I have zero ambitions to apply myself and resources to becoming a driver anywhere near that spectrum, so a car that fast already has plenty of stimulus to keep me plenty occupied when driving near/at its limits. An 11 second factory car will be an absolute handful for me at the track or back roads if I'm anywhere above 8/10ths. Driving, among many other factors, is an exercise of multi-tasking, and like anything else, the faster things get, the harder it is to multi-task. I just ain't that driver.

QUIKAG

Very efficient, fast transmission and a solid 495hp with a broad power curve and the engine basically over the rear axle, so very minimal wheel spin at hard launch. So, most/all power gets to the ground and off it goes.

QUIKAG

I still have 3 manual cars, so I still enjoy rowing. But, I do like a nice dual-clutch as well with certain applications.

TommyDeVito

I didn’t say that you did say that bro. I’m no Valentino or Ayrton, come on dude. But I did spends my monies at the track on 2 wheels and 4 over the last 25 years, just to get proficient, trust myself, and know when and where to push to my own capabilities. I’ve been riding 10 second factory vehicles for 25 years and honestly, it’s the midrange you can take full advantage of. Even at the track, most tracks, I cannot fully exploit them. Only COTA, with 2 straights, especially the back straight, where you can push something highly capable to its limits.

I don’t drive or ride past 7/10 on the street, and I might go 9/10 at the track for a lap or something. Most of the time at the track, 8/10. So this DSG vs 6MT is moot for me. In a daily driver or truck or something, I will take a 6MT if available, if not, no big deal. But performance machinery, it’s no manual no sale. Honestly had GM put a 6MT in this C8, or the Z06, I would have purchased or planned to purchase one. Closest thing to a modern NSX to me (that hybrid bs that Honda put out, no thanks) on the market.

TommyDeVito

I’ve tried dude. Cars and motorcycles. One of my bikes had a DCT choice. It’s just a deal killer. Thankfully manuals are still out there, for now at least.

TheDonEffect

Yeah my whole thing is even if they did put a stick in it, I still probably wouldn't buy it, but if I had to choose between getting it in a manual or auto, I'd take the manual of course. If I were shopping for say a BRZ, not having a manual is an absolute deal breaking non starter. But if I were shopping for a C8, the lack of a manual isn't a non starter. The C8 is weird in that it's a tweener of sorts, it's not a hyper car and but it's still very fast to the point to get anywhere 7/10ths and beyond on the street you would have to disregard alot of things (other people's safety, law, etc). Anyway, in that realm of performance where I'm prioritizing track times over real world usage, within that realm not having a manual isn't as important, because if the goal is track times there's no denying modern autos are better, which was absolutely not the case a couple decades ago. However, I don't prioritize track times, and prefer real world usability for fun, and the C8 has other shortcomings from that regard that the auto vs manual thing doesn't matter as much.

WolfpackS2k

You're making a strange case IMO because given equal transmissions, (other than grip issues at launch) the C8 would be no faster than a C7. Unless you made the same case for the C7, then carry on. The C8 gained 30 hp but also gained 200 lb. Their performance capabilities are almost identical.

TheDonEffect

Correct, and as such I no longer own a vette. But also consider that the C7 is infinitely more useable than the C8 with its bigger trunk as well and will be cheaper to run when considering maintenance and repairs of the FR vs MR layout.

I'd still consider owning a vette though, although C6 or C7, because it's nice to just have a V8 with a manual. But if I could get something like an GR86 with 350ish hp, or a Miata with 280ish hp, that'd be perfection for me. The problem is that there's a jump from cars like the GR86/Miata to the Vette, with not many good options in between (looking at you Z).

I think the easier way to sum it all up is I no longer lust for sporty cars that have tires wider than... 265. Beyond that you have to consider why a car has so much mechanical grip, usually it's a byproduct of having to engineer around weight and power, whatever it is it goes beyond driving enjoyment and more so magazine numbers.

WolfpackS2k

Yes, a C7 GS manual is on my short list of cars I'd like to own. And if blue with white stripes....yes!