Will Sticks Will Define the Next Era of Supercars?McLarenAfter years of events dominated by new restomods, the runaway subject of conversation at this year's Monterey Car Week was one that should excite enthusiasts across the world: manual transmissions. Companies like McLaren and Porsche announced new manual offerings, while executives at brands like Bugatti teased the potential for three-pedal models down the road. Not everyone is on the same page, though; other executives told Road & Track that manuals are unlikely fits for their brand in the near future, even if many buyers might be clamoring to shift for themselves.Of course, some brands, like Porsche, have continuously maintained manual offerings in their lineup. The automaker further expanded its current six-speed further into the lineup the day before Car Week's The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, announcing plans to offer a clutch pedal in the 911 Carrera S in North America again starting next year. Timo Reisch, the brand's North American CEO, told Road & Track that the company "will try to offer manual transmissions as long as we are legally allowed to, and as long as there's customer demand." Better still, he says that the company "[see] customer demand for the option, manual transmission also lasting well into the next decade."McLaren, on the other hand, made a big splash by announcing an even more ambitious idea: bringing a manual transmission back to its range. It is the starring feature of the MCL 6GT, currently a concept but a model planned for production in the near future. It may not herald a stick-shift option in a higher-volume McLaren any time soon, but the conventional manual gearbox does stand out as a distinguishing feature.AdvertisementAdvertisementMcLaren follows Ferrari here, although Maranello only kind of brought back a six-speed. Just as with the Koenigsegg CC850, the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale and its simulated manual gearbox matches the inputs of a typical manual shifter, even though that clutch pedal and gear selector are actually operating a dual-clutch transmission that can also shift itself.Ferrari's simulated stick.FerrariThis system is controversial in general automotive circles, and was among the executives at Monterey as well. Spyker CEO Victor Muller called the Ferrari out directly in his reveal speech at the Quail. Muller's company never had to stop making manuals .... because the brand itself ceased to exist for almost a decade. After debuting the C8 Preliator XXV Coupe that brought the company back—complete with a manual transmission—he told Road & Track that Spyker "never, ever left the concept of the manual, because we think a car like this has to be engaging. You drive this because you want to, you don't drive this because you have to. If you want to drive a car like this, you want to have the maximum experience. How do you get the maximum experience? By focusing on the driving."In addition to the brands moving forward with manuals, a few others are declaring their positions from the sidelines. Aston Martin is openly weighing a return of manuals, either in a direct form or via a simulated compromise like that seen on the upcoming stick-equipped Ferrari 12Cilindri.Aston MartiinAston CEO Adrian Hallmark says that costs are a big factor in that decision. "The problem we have is not getting a manual gearbox; it's getting an electronic and modified system to be able to work with a manual box," he said. "Why? Because when you've got ADAS—because this car's got all the safety systems of a production car, if we put a manual in, you couldn't have the adaptive speed control and the anti-crash intervention. To take that out ... and to modify it is more cost[ly] than developing a new manual gearbox."AdvertisementAdvertisementOf course, cost is less of an issue for some automakers than others. Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti, caught us by surprise when he told Road & Track in no uncertain terms that he was "definitely" interested in a potential manual model. Whether that comes in a one-off from the Solitaire line or a volume model based on the already-announced Tourbillion, Rimac put it simply, if vaguely: "Imagine a V-16 with a manual."Yet not all brands are so gung-ho about the possibility. Lukas Czinger, CEO of the namesake hypercar manufacturer, tells R&T that "it doesn't make sense to put an older, slower technology into a car that has been optimized to the degree that the [Czinger] 21C has." He instead stresses that the same appeal that come with manuals in other car come from "analog driver feel" in the 21C.Sam Rojas"Can we bring a driving experience that's incredibly rewarding through steering feel, through pedal feel, through the way that we're damped on the front end, through our power delivery, through the balance of front axle power and the V-8 in the rear? Yeah. My favorite thing to hear from customers who drive the car is that they say this is a hypercar that has soul."Lamborghini executive Federico Foschini, meanwhile, shared his own lack of interest in manuals back in June. Of course, both Czinger and Lamborghini primarily produce hybrid-assisted machines using multiple motors and powering all four wheels, a major change from the more conventional internal combustion setups used in the core products of other manufacturers mentioned here—and one that could present practical problems for stick-shift integration. As Porsche North America CEO Timo Reisch noted when talking to Road & Track, hybrid systems not originally designed for manuals (like the one in the 911 GTS T-Hybrid, which actually houses its electric motor inside the transmission) are not as easy to integrate with the lovably outdated row-your-own technology.AdvertisementAdvertisementAnd that could create a complication for those carmakers planning to expand the amount of electrification in their lineups in the future. Stronger standards, like the Euro 7 regulations that come into effect this year, will limit what manufacturers can do without electrifying the cars they sell in some way. Until someone figures out a way to make a manual performance car with hybrid technology work, this could be the major limiting factor that keeps these gearboxes speeds from returning to the world of supercars in widespread (for the class) numbers.In the end, that might actually end up being good news for buyers of ultra-exclusive models like the MCL 6GT and the 12Cilindri Manuale. So long as nobody has figured out how to make a manual supercar as efficient as it is thrilling, the gearboxes could be available only to the most select buyers ... even at brands that already cater exclusively to consumers who regularly spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new performance car.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State