Corvette Boss Says Fans Don't Really Want A Manual C8

With its ZF-sourced six-speed manual gearbox and a third pedal crowding the driver's footwell, today's Nice Price or No Dice 650i is a rare bird. See if its price tag has you wanting to make its appearance in your driveway a frequent occurrence. Labor actions have shaped the auto industry globally. In the U. S., work stoppages over what were seen as unfair conditions led to the rise of powerful labor unions, giving individual workers a collective voice. In 1970s Great Britain, labor strikes seriously constrained production and were arguably one of the most deleterious factors in the decline of the nation's auto industry. To be sure, cars and work stoppages don't mix well.

Roger Biermann is an automotive journalist of 13 years and has been the Managing Editor at CarBuzz since 2021. With no formal post-high school education, Roger launched his career as an automotive journalist by test driving cars at dealerships and putting his thoughts online before launching his own website in 2012 and running Torquing Cars until he made the move to CarBuzz full-time in 2019. He has been fortunate enough to interview some of the car world’s most impressive personalities, including Tobias Moers, Christian von Koenigsegg, and Frank van Meel of BMW M fame, with his interviews cited by a plethora of global publications, including Car and Driver, MotorTrend, The Drive, and many more. Porsche's new era was officially unveiled last week in the form of the Mission S concept, a functional concept previewing what will be a series-production addition to the Porsche lineup as a supercar above the 911. That still leaves room for a 918 Spyder successor in a hypercar role above that, mind you.

It's wild how far we've come in automotive technology during the past couple of decades. Who in the '60s would've figured that we'd make 100 horsepower per liter, like with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse 5.0-liter V8, or that adaptive dampers would be common in the luxury market, including on the Acura Integra A-Spec (with Technology Package). Still, one seemingly overlooked aspect of automotive progress is how we actuate the clutch between an engine and manual transmission. While this area's workings have stayed relatively simple, moving from one form to another has improved daily driving in several ways. We're talking about transitioning from cable-operated to hydraulically actuated clutches.

Chris Bruce has worked in the automotive industry since 2011 and has written thousands of stories about cars, motorsports, and motorcycles in that time. He has written for Autoblog, Autoviva, CarFax, Edmunds, Hagerty, InsideEVs, Motor1, and New Roads. He has also hosted hundreds of podcast episodes. As hobbies, Bruce enjoys building plastic models of robots and cars. He also enjoys video games, particularly the 16-bit variety. His dog keeps him busy. We added more information about AC Motorsport's Francesco Calzavara and his prior involvement with Michelotto.

The C8 Corvette was a complete rethink, which naturally led to grumbling from people who don’t like change. One of the biggest sticking points with enthusiasts was the lack of a manual transmission. A clutch pedal and shift linkage would have been difficult to package in the mid-engine C8, and the performance and drivability benefits of the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission Chevrolet went with are undeniable. But with manuals making a comeback in limited-edition supercars, maybe there’s an opportunity to make something happen, at least on high-end versions of the Corvette? Tony Roma, executive chief engineer for the Corvette and performance cars at General Motors, explained on the latest episode of our show The Drivecast why manual-transmission diehards shouldn’t get their hopes up. Like so many other things in the auto industry, it’s mainly an issue of cost.

The newly revealed Porsche Mission S mid-engine supercar platform is engineered to support a traditional manual gearbox alongside automated PDK options. Porsche leadership confirmed that offering a manual transmission in the production model will ultimately depend on market demand and buyer feedback. The retro-inspired Mission S concept features traditional driver-focused elements, like a physical key, signaling a commitment to mechanical engagement. The Porsche Mission S concept car that was recently revealed is meant to point the way towards the automaker’s future—one where a new flagship supercar above the 911 pushes the brand upmarket while strengthening ties to the company’s past. And that future, it seems, could include an old-fashioned row-your-own transmission. During remarks at the launch event in New York City, Porsche CEO Dr. Michael Leiters stressed that the new supercar has a flexible platform that’s compatible with multiple powertrains, and he specifically said that it could be powered by either pure internal-combustion engines or hybrid ones. More interestingly, it can also accept either manual or PDK-style automatic transmissions.