The extraordinary lengths Nissan went to to keep the Z manual! Plus the other sports cars keeping the manual gearbox alive

Hiroshi Tamura took an unconventional approach to ensuring the manual transmission remained a part of the new Nissan Z - tricking his bosses. 

When Mr Tamura, the product planning tsar behind Z and GT-R, was presenting the sales split details for the automatic compared to manual across the 370Z range, he had a slide featuring a very large ‘40/60’ in the centre of the screen. This shocked Nissan’s senior management and they realised that they couldn’t risk alienating 40 per cent of their customers.

The thing was, Tamura had included a very small disclaimer in the bottom right-hand corner of the slide that indicated this sales split was specific to the 370Z Nismo high-performance model.

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It wasn’t that he lied, he simply presented the facts in a manner that suited his needs - and the needs of those who still love manual sports cars.

In an era when dual-clutch transmissions and improved torque-converter automatics have become the only choice for so many performance cars (neither Ferrari or Lamborghini offer a manual vehicle anymore), the three-pedal layout is an endangered species.

But it’s a species that’s in demand in the right circles, such as Nissan Z buyers. Pre-orders for the car are running at approximately 70 per cent in favour of the manual - with no tiny disclaimer either. Even though Nissan admits over the life of the vehicle it’s likely to drop to 40 per cent, Mr Tamura is a passionate advocate for the manual gearbox and the role it plays in making driving more exciting for purists.

It’s a view shared by Travis Maher, Nissan Australia Senior Product Manager, who told CarsGuide: “The new Z had to have a manual option to live up to its heritage and to provide our customers with a transmission option that matches their driving style.”

But here are some of the other sports cars fighting the good fight for fans of the three-pedal transmission.

Porsche 911

The German brand is a big believer that its dual-clutch ‘PDK’ is a superior transmission and is the more popular choice for its customers. However, it continues to offer the manual transmission, albeit in limited variants in its iconic sports car, with only the 911 GTS and GT3 currently available in Australia. 

Despite this limited use each car uses a separate manual gearbox, the 911 GTS has a seven-speed unit, while the 911 GT3 runs through a six-speed version.

Toyota GR Supra

The Japanese brand learnt the hard way that there is still a passion and sizeable audience for the manual transmission. The revived Supra was originally only available with an eight-speed automatic (like its twin-under-the-skin BMW Z4) but with buyers - particularly those in the US - wanting a manual Toyota has developed and will shortly introduce a new six-speed ‘box to meet “the demand of driving purists”.

Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ

While Toyota may have hesitated with its more expensive sports car, it never had a second-thought about keeping the manual in the second-generation 86. Along with its Subaru twin, the BRZ, the GR86 is offered with a six-speed manual to ensure it’s both more affordable and has the appeal driving enthusiasts demand from it.

Ford Mustang

The Blue Oval hasn’t revealed any official technical details of the upcoming new-generation Mustang, but it’s a 99.9 per cent certainty that it will continue to offer a three-pedal transmission.

The American audience loves the manual (there’s still an element of derision about automatic sports cars in the US), so Australian enthusiasts get to benefit.

The outgoing Mustang is available with a six-speed manual alongside a very nice 10-speed automatic.

Mazda MX-5

Mazda may have dropped the 1.5-litre engine, but it has kept the six-speed manual. In fact, it added a new entry-level 2.0-litre manual model for $37,790 (plus on-road costs) to keep the MX-5 under $40k.

This combination means the MX-5 stays true to its roots, as a driver focused roadster that harks back to 1960s British convertibles which always put driving enjoyment first.