BMW Has Sold Only 2 Manual Gearbox Z4s In Australia Since 2019

[FoMoJo]

True! If I was buying a Classic car that performed best with a manual I would definitely go with the stick shift. Other than that I'll take a good Auto/DCT......

If it was a boulevard cruiser, '60s Pontiac Parisienne convertible, etc., no need for a stick.  If it was a '60s GTO, definitely a stick.  When you were lined up at the stop light, you'd want to be able to blip the throttle which doesn't work so well with an automatic.

[JWC]

In the sixties and seventies, the GM Power Glide was the drag racing transmission of choice.  I loved it in my 1964 Chevy.

[CaminoRacer]

In the sixties and seventies, the GM Power Glide was the drag racing transmission of choice.  I loved it in my 1964 Chevy.

Still is!

[FoMoJo]

Still is!

Two speed.

[JWC]

Two speed.

And easy to rebuild. My uncle and I rebuilt his in his 1965 Impala.

[cawimmer430]

In the sixties and seventies, the GM Power Glide was the drag racing transmission of choice.  I loved it in my 1964 Chevy.

Was that a 2-speed A/T transmission? How did it drive?

Once I met a journalist for Octane Magazine Germany who told me he once drove a 1960s Chevrolet Camaro with a 2-speed automatic transmission and he said the car was a total dog. 

[GoCougs]

In its heyday the PowerGlide was not fast. Only two gears and the heavy vehicles of the day, yet still geared to travel on the freeways, it couldn't be. But it worked well, was drivable and reliable, and GM sold millions of them.

In more modern times when used as dedicated drag race tranny, the PowerGlide requires all sorts of rework such as a super loose converter (like 4,000+ RPM stall) which makes it unusable on the street. It is also usually accompanied by drag radials (with super flexible sidewalls such that tire diameter, and hence gear ratio, increases with speed). The effect of all these things is the modern drag race-dedicated PowerGlide is in effect a two step race-only CVT, and not simply a two speed transmission.

[CaminoRacer]

The Turbo 350/400 3 speed transmissions were a huge upgrade for street driving. (Same as the 700R4 4 speed was a huge upgrade for highway driving, with it's overdrive 4th)

Powerglides are still used frequently for drag racing, but really only in track-only cars with big power and drag slicks.

[cawimmer430]

In its heyday the PowerGlide was not fast. Only two gears and the heavy vehicles of the day, yet still geared to travel on the freeways, it couldn't be. But it worked well, was drivable and reliable, and GM sold millions of them.

In more modern times when used as dedicated drag race tranny, the PowerGlide requires all sorts of rework such as a super loose converter (like 4,000+ RPM stall) which makes it unusable on the street. It is also usually accompanied by drag radials (with super flexible sidewalls such that tire diameter, and hence gear ratio, increases with speed). The effect of all these things is the modern drag race-dedicated PowerGlide is in effect a two step race-only CVT, and not simply a two speed transmission.

Nice info! Thanks!

[Raza]

Pretty sure the F type V6 only came in supercharged form.  Just two different power outputs.

That might be right, yes. But I think both the base and the more powerful model had manuals available. So base engine only, but not base model. Guess that's at least a partly semantic difference.

[Raza]

It's time people admit there is more to a driving experience than a  clutch pedal

Of course there's more.

It's also time to admit that it's okay to want a manual because that's just what you want. No justification needed. No magazine racing. No bench racing. No "race technology". No launch control. No quoting how much faster it shifts.  If you want a yellow car, people shouldn't jump up and down on you like "Cars don't need to be yellow anymore to be fun". People like what they like and if it's different from what other people like, those people need to grow up and deal with it. And it's also time to admit that you just don't want a manual if you don't want it. That's okay too. Just don't act like you're some fucking prophet for wanting to drive an automatic.

[r0tor]

I still own a manual.  It's doesn't make anything better.

[FoMoJo]

Another requirement for drivers of today is that one hand must always be available to fiddle with their phones.  Having to shift gears would interfere too much.

[Raza]

I still own a manual.  It's doesn't make anything better.

Okay.

[cawimmer430]

Rare 1991 30SL R129 with a 5-speed manual. To my knowledge there are only 5 of these in the entire USA.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Elf0SqHDE

[Submariner]

It seems like there are more 5-speed 300SL's here...I've seen a few up close and in person.  The numbers are definitely low though.

[cawimmer430]

It seems like there are more 5-speed 300SL's here...I've seen a few up close and in person.  The numbers are definitely low though.

I would honestly never get one. These days I prefer automatics by far over manuals, but I can see the appeal of a manual sports car / Grand Tourer. However, Mercedes' manual transmissions from this era are so rubbery with horrid shift patterns and vague clutches, too. Terrible stuff in terms of refinement and "fun".