The manuals of the past were superior to old “slushboxes” in basically every way from a performance standpoint, as well as being able to achieve better MPG figures in the hands of a good driver.
However, most discussions I see these days when it comes to manuals seem to just take the angle that they are basically a legacy component that is being kept around for enthusiasts to get a more engaging driving feel - With the automatic transmission options in cars like the Porsche 911 and BMW M3 being the objectively better choice for track-time focused drivers.
I personally really like driving manual and hope it doesn’t go away, but my question is: Are there any actual driving situations or types where a tradition manual transmission is able to achieve objectively better results than a similar tier automatic transmission (or even sequential paddle shifting)? Or has the conversation basically just ceded the performance argument to automatics, in favor of fun and engagement as the main motivation? Thanks.
Automatics definitely perform better, but the 3rd pedal makes driving a blast. It’s also a much more skilled style of driving, especially the old old ones with a mechanical clutch. You drive a car from the 60s and then realize how talented those old racers were.