Quote:
Originally Posted by bobby35ny
Not a flame thread, What Am I missing?
I'm in my 50's, Am I a dinosaur? I had the Chevelles and Camaro’s back in the day. Most were stick. I had a chevelle with the TH400 with a 10 inch converter and all the fancy auto stuff, reverse valve body, all the goodies at the time.
......
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, Anyone could put their foot to the floor and go!
Maybe I’m just a dinosaur……
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I don't mean this offensively....but I think most of your curiosity does stem from being older.
As a younger guy - I can tell you that I get a kick out of watching the C7.R crack off shifts one after the other, so quickly...or watching videos of a Porsche GT3, Ferarri 458, or McLaren do the same thing...yet, both of my past Camaros were stick, and I truly worry I'll miss it when I switch "camps".
But I'd like to offer my thoughts on your points, if you'd entertain them...a different perspective.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobby35ny
I watch all the videos of guys at the drag strip, I must admit, once I see the car is an auto I click it off.
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I think that indicates there's an inherent bias on your part, then...perhaps you just don't like automatics, or dual clutches, etc...and you won't ever like anything other than that. That's fine. But worth noting...
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobby35ny
I know the auto is FASTER, but my god, you watch the M6 guys go fast and it’s a thrill to me.
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I was fortunate enough to be at the reveal media rides for the debut of the ZL1, and the A10 car was thrilling, as well. In fact...most people were going ape over that version, while the stick model was sort of regarded with simple expectation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobby35ny
What happened to the driver EXPERIENCE? Your senses? The sounds the shifting? That’s all part of the driver experience.
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The experience in the new ZL1 is lightning fast...and the A10 reflects that...with ten gears available to keep the engine in the sweet spot no matter what your speed....manual shifting isn't an option. Things happen to quickly. The responsiveness to the paddles is instant as well, so the driver feels fully connected to the car...choosing gears at will. It's a DIFFERENT kind of connection, but it's there.
The sounds of the A10 shifting are....I'm sorry....more intimidating and impressive than the M6. The engine is tuned to backfire on early shifts...and it does so with an unholy "bang" every time to crack off a shift. The M6 car at the event sounded great (they all do, the exhaust note is wicked!!), the A10 car had that extra "something".
There's also something to be said for the car shifting itself during traffic situations, or the boring trip to work in the AM when you're groggy and just not feeling it...
And auto-start...both for function (such as warming up or cooling down before getting in)...and for fun (such as scaring small children in a mall parking ramp).
Different strokes for different folks....I'd say - you're not missing anything, and you don't need to "get it".
Bottom line is (and I've been saying it for a while, now)....either choice will merit the driver one of the best Camaro driving experiences he/she has ever had.
