I think it comes down to personal preference. I just like the intimate control a manual transmission give me. But I hate manuals in stop and go rush traffic. If you saw my stable, about half my cars are manual, half automatic.
The drag racer street/strip Firebird is a TH400 with a 3500 rpm stall. Torque multiplication? You betcha. Ratchetting shifter for the real speed and controllability.
The open road racer C3 427 Corvette is a close ratio Muncie. The controllability over the gears and the rpms in each gear, shift points, coming out of an apex just right, heel & toe-ing, etc. is a lot better for that car's mission. Plus I just love harnessing the 427's 600+ hp like that.
The commuting cars (IROC & Grand Am) are automatics, because of the stop and go traffic issue.
And the Stovebolt truck is a manual, because I prefer to stroke the gears myself when I'm towing or off the road.
If I had the green to own a Ferarri, you can bet it'd be a stick shift rather than a paddle shift. I wouldn't have that car any other way.
It's a personal preference, Jerry. That's what it comes down to. I like them both for different reasons. But that's just my own personal opinion.
