Monterey Car Week revealed some interesting opinions from car company bosses, offering enthusiasts a hint of what is to come. One such statement by Bugatti's CEO Mate Rimac hinted that a hypercar powered by a V16 engine could be equipped with a manual transmission.It appears as though manuals are slowly going mainstream, as there is ample evidence that automakers are offering three pedals because customers are asking for them, be it McLaren's McL 6GT, a purist-focused S1 supercar by Gordon Murray, or the Porsche 911 Carrera S.Now, though, the boss of Bugatti just went on record with a strong hint that could be the reason many petrolheads smile today. Speaking to Road & Track during Monterey Car Week, Mate Rimac was quizzed on whether a Bugatti could accommodate a manual transmission. He said:AdvertisementAdvertisement"Yes, definitely. Definitely. I agree one hundred percent. Imagine [a] V-16 with a manual. Real manual."In 2024, Bugatti unveiled the Tourbillon, which is limited to 250 units. It is powered by an all-new 8.3-liter V16 engine, paired with three motors, producing a combined 1800 hp. The hypercar came with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic option, but with Mate Rimac seeming pleased about a manual Bugatti hypercar, something could be brewing behind closed doors.Porsche Heard Its Customers, Reintroduced the Manual on the 911 Carrera SPorsche had dropped the manual transmission option for the 911 Carrera S, but after noticing that customers preferred the stick shift, the German automaker has reintroduced it, an option which was only limited to two 911 models- the Carrera T and GT3 variants.Motorbiscuit quoted Porsche North America CEO Timo Resch, who said at Monterey Car Week that it was not the brand's original plan to bring back the manual:AdvertisementAdvertisement"Because obviously our customers have a close relationship with their Porsche centers. And if they tell them, 'I would like to have a manual which kind of sits in between a GT3 and a T', we try to collect all of that feedback. And based on the history of, there was a Carrera S in the previous generation that had a manual transmission, we were like, 'Let's build a case.'"Resch said that the decision to bring back the manual was all about offering more choice. He said:"Ultimately, it's the choice of the customer. And that's what we are about. It's about providing choice to our customers."
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