7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

You'd think these cars would have only ever been available as automatics, but each had a manual option that very few people decided to go for
7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

Aston Martin DB9

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

It’d be unthinkable to offer a luxury grand tourer like the DB9 with anything other than an automatic gearbox these days, but once upon a time Aston Martin’s gorgeous DB7 successor was indeed sold with a stick shifter. Pretty much no one bought one however, so unsurprisingly Gaydon dropped the manual option for the 2013 Virage-inspired facelift.

However, it went one step further by replacing the DBS - which could be optioned with a manual - with the auto-only Vanquish, and only giving the option of a seven-speed automated manual in the V12 Vantage S which superseded the boggo V12 Vantage. A step too far, some might argue - particularly in the case of the V12 Vantage S. Fortunately, Aston has since kindly fitted the V12 Vantage S with a manual.

BMW M5 (E60)

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

In pretty much every country in the world, you don’t get any transmission choice with the E60 M5: either you have the 5.0-litre V10 hooked up to a seven-speed SMG gearbox, or you choose another car. Except of course, if you live in the USA or Canada. Here, buyers were given the option of a six-speed manual, but it wasn’t popular - just 1364 stick-shifting E60 M5s were built.

BMW M5 (F10)

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

Despite switching to a slicker seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox for the F10 generation, the M5 continues to be offered with the option of a six-speed manual. As with the E60 version, you have to live in North America to take advantage of the rare phenomenon of a manual box F10 M5.

However, BMW M boss Frank van Meel told us earlier this year that demand for manual M5s has declined even further, meaning that the 4.4-litre V8-powered F10 will be the last M5 to be offered with anything other than an automatic.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

Yep, it is possible to enjoy the 612bhp V12 in the 599 GTB while rowing through a glorious gated manual gearbox. But good luck finding one: the vast majority of 599s were fitted with Ferrari’s ‘F1’ semi-automatic, with just 30 manuals built worldwide. 20 went to the US, and the other 10 were spread across Europe.

The 599 was one of the last manuals Ferrari ever offered: all current cars from Maranello are fitted with seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions.

Ferrari California

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

The manual 599 GTB may be a rare beast, but it has nothing on the scarcity of the first-gen California’s manual population. Ferrari built - drumroll please - three. Yep, just three, only one of which resides in the UK.

We can see why: the California is supposed to be more of a look at me cruiser of a Ferrari. It’s not a Ferrari you buy with the intention of tearing up mountain roads, so the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic makes far more sense.

Unsurprisingly, Ferrari took note of the manual California’s savage unpopularity, and currently offers the second-generation ‘California T’ with the auto only.

Porsche Panamera

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

The idea of a manual Panamera just feels wrong. As a big, wafty saloon, we can’t see why you’d want one with three pedals. And yet, a few buyers decided that was exactly what they were after. An example we looked at a couple of weeks ago served as partial inspiration for this list, and is one of only two manual Panameras for sale in the whole country.

Unsurprisingly, the new Panamera is offered only as an automatic.

Porsche Cayenne

7 Cars You'd Wouldn't Expect To Come With A Manual Gearbox Option

Since we’re on the subject of aesthetically dubious Porsches with logic-defying three-pedal arrangements, how about the Cayenne? We’ve managed to find more Cayenne manuals than Panameras, but since we’re talking about six out of almost 800 listed for sale on Autotrader, the manual Cayenne is still a spectacularly rare thing.

What other cars can you think of that had a ridiculously unpopular and relatively unknown manual option?

Comments

Ezra Berg (1994 Buick Roadmaster) (1970 El Camino)

The DB9 has a manual option??

07/13/2016 - 15:41 |
440 | 4

Hurry, SOMEONE, GET THE INHALER.

07/13/2016 - 15:46 |
124 | 0

V12 Aston Manual :O

… I need a moment to myself

07/13/2016 - 16:50 |
86 | 2

I dont know why this is surprising. I knew that all along.

07/14/2016 - 12:40 |
4 | 0

I’ve know this since season 4 of TopGear

07/16/2016 - 00:33 |
2 | 0

And the DBS was sold only with a Manual.

12/19/2016 - 17:46 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

no F430?

07/13/2016 - 15:44 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

If you DON’T have the manual option for an F430 you deserve to be shot.

07/13/2016 - 17:41 |
2 | 2
MHZ40

“Except of course, if you live in the USA or Canada. Here, buyers were given the option of a six-speed manual, but it wasn’t popular - just 1364 stick-shifting E60 M5s were built.”
Wait, what? All this banter about Muricans all driving auto, and BMW offers the M5 with a manual, in the Land of the Free? O.o

07/13/2016 - 15:46 |
128 | 0
Renault GTR

In reply to by MHZ40

We are fed the idea that Americans don’t want to drive stick and yet they got the option for a manual M5 twice.Meanwhile, Europe, the land of people craving for the good old stick-shift, doesn’t get the manual option.

07/13/2016 - 16:22 |
60 | 0
seebi92

In reply to by MHZ40

I know for sure the E60 M5 and of course the M6 of that era and the M5 wagon can be converted to manual because the manual gearbox from the E9x M3 fit perfectly to the engine. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s basically the same engine as the 4.0 V8 as they cut off two cylinders…

07/13/2016 - 20:18 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by MHZ40

Because BMW can advert it as a special anti theft system over there

07/13/2016 - 20:48 |
20 | 0
Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson

In reply to by MHZ40

It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? I remember speaking to the head of Jaguar PR last year about the F-Type manual, he said the business case for making it was largely based on demand from the US, where apparently a lot of new sports car buyers expect a stick shifter option

07/18/2016 - 08:26 |
2 | 0
Max Kössler

Why didnt’/don’t they sell manual M5’s in Europe ???
The demand would be much higher…

07/13/2016 - 15:52 |
48 | 6

Yeah, I just can’t understand the logic behind that, why not here in Europe instead. A manual V10 M5 Touring (wagon) would be sweet haha

07/13/2016 - 15:54 |
18 | 0

My one and only real problem with my dream. The E60 M5.

07/13/2016 - 17:42 |
0 | 0

I suspect their market research is better than yours. Fact is car enthusiasts just don’t really buy new cars. We are a small percentage of car owners, and an even smaller percentage of people that buy new cars.

It’s kinda funny when you see the amount of people crying “I wish they did a manual version” when they are never going to buy one new.

Maybe people forget that car makers only really make their money off the first owners.

07/13/2016 - 22:31 |
4 | 2

I’m not sure that the demand would be much higher. Sure at the second hand market the demand can be huge, but that is not really important for car manufacturers.

07/14/2016 - 10:09 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

My neighbor actually has a manual E60 M5.

07/13/2016 - 15:55 |
24 | 0
Nicholas Meehan

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

My uncle has one aswell. Very weird clutch in it

07/15/2016 - 03:14 |
2 | 0
TheCopenGuy

If only the Rapide comes with manual. The first one.

07/13/2016 - 15:58 |
4 | 2
[Flux]

DB9! <3

07/13/2016 - 16:03 |
2 | 0
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

Still dont get it how some car brands only make the manual available in america where most people drive automatics

07/13/2016 - 16:07 |
16 | 4

Maybe to give us the reasoning to stop making them. ‘See, we offered manual, no one bought it, now we’re ditching it’.

07/13/2016 - 20:27 |
18 | 2

And they only offer it on the LOWER trim levels on cars here, for some reason…

07/14/2016 - 10:41 |
0 | 0

That’s only the a to b drivers not the people who’d buy these types of cars

07/16/2016 - 16:32 |
2 | 0
SupercarClub

Funny how most of the cars on this list have manual options in AMERICA

07/13/2016 - 16:11 |
42 | 4

Was thinking the same

07/13/2016 - 16:24 |
2 | 0
Jack Warren 1

Giving the USA manual is as good of an idea as asking OJ if he did it, and making the ruling.

Sorry OJ.

07/13/2016 - 16:32 |
0 | 2

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