Hmmmm. I guess all those Alfa's, Triumphs and other convertibles whose key's I've called my own weren't sportscars because they didn't have a 6-speed manual?

Hell, and I thought owning ANYTHING with dual Zenith-Stromburg carbs qualified me for something.

It takes more than mechanicals to define a sportscar. It seems to me the BEST part about the SMT is having the ability to rev match downshifts during SPIRITED driving. Say what you will, but a car being driven with an SMT thru the woods at breakneck speeds sure as hell stays true to the original intent of driving than some Don Wannabe trolling thru downtown on a Saturday night looking for some "you wanna buy me a slow gin fizz" bar babe attracted to his six-speed. Obviously, my tirade isn't directed at you, but we all know owners like this are out there. Straights are for fast cars and corners are for fast drivers, SMT or manual....makes no difference to me.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by hpalmer
[B]

Actually the new MR2 does use a automatically controlled manual, complete with clutch and the works.

 

Cool. I read the article from SCC and I stand corrected!

Learn something new everyday...

 

normally I won't post a reply just to argue with somebody but I'm gonna have to make an exception just this once. Prelude guy....formerH22 or something. ALL F1 cars are required to have manually shifted transmissions. All drivers in F1 shift their own gears. Shumacher does it via small buttons on the streering wheel. Automatic transmissions were outlawed years ago before Senna died. He had an automatically shifted gearbox and a form of traction control that was said to give him an unfair advantage.

 

Actually, new rules were passes allowing for automatic manuals. They are specially programmed for each track. I don't know what year they take effect.

Hugh

 

Reading through this I couldn't tell whether everyone (with the exception of TKG 26) understands the terms.

1. Sequential Shifter: the transmission that doesn't require a pattern movement (like our double H) to move from gear to gear. The lever (or paddle) is pressed once in one direction to change a gear and another once in the same direction to change another. Push forward to upshift, push backward to downshift, for example. Motorcycle transmissions work this way.

2. Paddle Shift: putting the lever(s) for the sequential shifter on the steering column. This is an electrical sequential shift lever.

and Dude, he ain't shifting...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by hpalmer
[B]

Actually, new rules were passes allowing for automatic manuals.

 

Vtec guy or something, read on. The top tier teams run auto seq shifters dude. Pay attention next time you watch f1 and watch their fingers. The gearing and shifts are tuned for every track, get it straight before rebutting. Senna, man that was like 10 years ago get with the times j/k Senna was my fav, he could kick Schumachers ass any day.

 

: casually slipping foot into mouth :

I was wrong. I just read my post and I came across as an asshole. My bad. I guess you are right. I didn't know they allowed that now. I kinda stopped following F1 a couple seasons ago. Sorry.

:walking away with head bowed down:

 

Automatic transmissions were only recently allowed.