Manual Shifting, A Dying Breed

Now we come to the year 2010. The ability to drive a car equipped with a manual transmission is becoming a dying art. The sales numbers tell the story: In 1985, according to Ward's Communications, 22.4% of all vehicles sold in the United States came with a manual transmission. By 2007, the number had plummeted to 7.7%.

I knew the handwriting was on the wall when years ago I read that a Tiptronic equipped Porsche was faster than the manual version of the same car. I still give my right arm a workout with the dog-legged Getrag trans in the 16 valve.