Understanding What's Really Killing the Manual Transmission - Road & Track

"The sky's been falling for 50 years now, it seems. In September 1965, Playboy published an article by automotive-journalism legend Ken Purdy. It opened with a two-page shot of a Corvette shifter covered in cobwebs and the headline "Bye-Bye Stick Shift."

The crux of the piece was simple: Automatic transmissions had been proven to make race cars go faster, rendering the manual obsolete. It was destined to become nothing more than a purist's plaything."

"...enthusiasts crave fun first and speed second, and the two aren't always linked. Yes, the manual has disappeared from race cars. And it's disappearing from boring cars. But the clutch pedal is alive and well. You just have to know where to look. "