{"id":30573,"date":"2024-07-24T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T07:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/?p=30573"},"modified":"2024-07-24T08:23:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T07:23:19","slug":"transmission-transition-is-it-curtains-for-the-manual-gearbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/transmission-transition-is-it-curtains-for-the-manual-gearbox\/","title":{"rendered":"Transmission Transition \u2013 Is it Curtains for the Manual Gearbox?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a driving enthusiast, there are few things more wonderfully satisfying than slotting home a flawlessly rev-matched downshift. It’s pure poetry, not to mention a valuable skill when it comes to perfectly piloting a car with a manual gearbox, especially on track. Unfortunately, however, it’s a dying art as we see more and more manufacturers ditching the dog leg and sacking off the synchromesh in favour of the auto box.<\/p>\n

According to research the number of new cars available with manual gearboxes has more than halved in the past six years. Compared to almost 200 in 2018 there are currently less than 90 models from the UK\u2019s most popular car brands that can be optioned with a manual – a decline of 18% since 2023. At this rate the manual gearbox looks set to become extinct in the not too distant future with some of the biggest players already no longer offering new cars with manual gearboxes, including Volvo, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Lexus, and others are sure to follow suit. And let’s not forget about the proliferation of EVs either, further sounding the death knell for the manual.<\/p>\n

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Not only that, but according to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, between 2012 and 2013 there were just under 88,000 automatic only driving tests taken. Fast forward a decade and between 2022 and 2023 there were over 320,000. But in addition to reducing your options when it comes to the type of car you can drive, taking an automatic only test could also potentially cost you more in the long run with data showing that opting for a model with an automatic gearbox is generally more expensive than going for one with a manual.<\/p>\n

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Yes, automatic gearboxes have come a long way in recent years and advances in technology have allowed these types of transmission to become incredibly efficient and responsive but that’s not the reason, generally speaking, that people choose to drive a stick shift. A car could have the greatest, most responsive automatic gearbox in the world and it wouldn’t matter, it’s all about the interaction when it comes to a manual box. The feel of it. The knowledge that you, as the driver, are in complete control, at one with the car. It’s that feeling of mechanical connection that makes driving a manual so enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Don’t get us wrong, we’ve got nothing against automatic gearboxes, that would be silly. We have plenty of cars on fleet with slush boxes. The point we’re trying to make is that removing the option or taking a driving test that only permits you to drive a certain type of car severely limits the scope of enjoyment and interaction one can glean from the simple act of driving.<\/p>\n

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Again, like the advent of speed limiters<\/a> that we addressed recently, this is surely just another reason to buy and own a classic car. Piloting an electric powered park assist go-kart with stop and go pedals that barks at you for every minor infraction might be fine for some but if you truly want to experience pure driving and actually interact with your car at a physical level then it has to be a manual, no?<\/p>\n

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Yes, heel-toe shifting is way more impressive in heels (N.B. not my feet – Ed.)<\/em><\/p>\n

So if you’re thinking of taking your driving test then don’t limit your potential. Don’t narrow your horizons. Go manual. Even if you think you’ll never own a manual car you may change your mind in the future because the draw of classic cars<\/a> is an incredibly strong one and mastering the heel and toe technique will never not be incredibly rewarding, not to mention cool as fudge…<\/p>\n

Anyway, we’ll leave you with footage of a loafer-clad Ayrton Senna smashing a Honda NSX<\/a> around Suzuka, showcasing just how satisfying driving a manual gearbox can be. Poetry in motion didn’t we say? Legendary.<\/p>\n