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i like the manual trans better than the auto because:
1. i can shift where/when i want to
2. i just like the feel they provide through the clutch pedal, kind of like its just another appendage. (no jokes please)

just my opinion, but when you think sports car, excluding the newer cars with flappy paddle shifters, you will picture something with a 4 or 5 speed(manual (6 for slightly newer)) gearbox.
then again, its just my opinion

Manual transmissions are:
- lighter
- simpler
- smaller
- more reliable ( including also being able to push start the car )
- shift exactly when you want

For track use as a transaxle, some of them can mount upside down giving you a very low center of gravity. In this area shifting speed and exact timing are very important.

None of the above may be crucial and I'm not against auto's, if that is waht you want. I've always driven manuals and enjoy using them though. On my race car, I really enjoy using it. I shift without the clutch and it happens about as fast as I can possibly move the shift lever. Coming in to a slow turn at high speed, brakes almost on fire, tires nearly melting and short shifting 4th->2nd without the clutch and getting that all right is a real feeling of accomplishment.

I think if you try driving on the edge with an auto you have to allow just a little extra slack because you can't match revs so you would jerk the tires a bit. So braking something like 10 feet early would mean you lose a position if things are tight.

Amen, Brother! And if you do all that and exit the corner with the front end pointing at where the rear end is going, you've really done sumpin!!!

JD "Loud and Sideways" Kemp