A manual transmission system is a transmission system in which the driver shifts gears manually to transfer the power created by the engine to the wheels via a drive shaft. It was invented by Louis-Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor in 1894. in 1898, Louis Renault made some changes to the original design. He substituted the drive shaft for the drive chain and added a differential axle for the rear wheels. This helped in improving the performance of the manual transmission. Manual transmission was used in almost all the cars of the US. In 1948, the Buick Dynaflow transmission, world’s first automatic transmission came into picture and today, most of the Americans prefer automatic transmissions over manual ones. There are still a sizable number of people who love to drive cars with manual transmission.
Manual and Automatic
In an automatic car there is neither a clutch paddle nor a gear box. All you have is a brake and an accelerator paddle with an automatic gear shifter which does the work of changing gears for you. In contrast, manual transmission cars have the conventional 3 paddle arrangement with clutch, accelerator and brake and a gear box with normally 5 or 6 speed transmission. Well, you must be thinking then why do people still buy manual transmission cars as it is more hectic for a driver to shuffle gears, keep one foot on clutch, move the foot in time to brake etc. The reason being that manual transmission cars are less expensive than automatic cars, the maintenance costs are low and the spare parts are readily available. These are some of the benefits of a manual transmission car. But wait, it’s not just about the money. Aficionados of manual cars often claim that people who surrender to automatic transmissions can never get the real thrill, the rush of adrenaline one gets while driving a manual transmission car. Let us now take a look at some of the best manual transmission cars.
S.NO.
Car Model
Displacement
1
Porsche 911 Carrera S
3800
2
Volkswagen Jetta (diesel)
1896
3
Chevrolet Corvette
7008
4
Ford Mustang
8430
5
Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1
6162
6
Chevrolet Camaro (fifth generation)
6162
7
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
5409
8
Nissan GT-R
3799
9
Porsche Cayman
3387
10
Hyundai Elantra Blue
1975
Although the markets are flooded with automatic cars, there are still many people queuing up for manual transmission cars. If you have never driven the best manual transmission cars, you need to master some tips and techniques. Once you have become a pro, then you can very well use the car for what these are best known for. A drive on that long countryside stretch, zooming past lakes and hills, shuffling gears to overtake the fellow who refuses to budge and it can go on and on! Apart from the thrill that comes with driving, one should always remember to drive safely while obeying all the traffic regulations, otherwise as they say, it takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one ‘nut’ to scatter it all over the road.