[V8] The ultimate V8?

[Buchholz, Steven]

> 
> A 4.2 litre five speed?
> 
> Naaaah!  I doubt it sincerely.  

.... that's right ... if you're going for a 4.2, you might as well get
the 6-gang that goes with it!  ;-)

> About the only thing that a five speed does
> is give the average driver or average enthusiast an opportunity to
exercise
> the muscles in the left leg.
> 
> Considering the amount of time the vast majority spend in traffic, a
five
> speed manual transmission gets annoying over time.  I don't care if a
five
> speed is faster to "x" miles per hour, that magic "boy racer" feeling
gets
> really old after shifting up and down ten times in a half a mile in
stop and
> go driving.
> 
... well, you know what they say about opinions ... 
> 
> Nope.  Boy Racer illusion aside, I think the ultimate V8 is a late 4.2
litre
> car that has had some help in the camshaft department and perhaps some
help
> in lower end breathing.  Someone on this list wrote once that 4.2 cars
that
> had been dynoed usually came out showing between 295 and 305
horsepower.  A
> 4.2 litre car with automatic transmission and a bit of top end help,
and
> some help breathing, should produce 325 or so, and still remain docile
for
> normal use.
> 
... that's the great thing about this country ... everyone can choose
for themselves ... in most cases that is ... that said ... I simply fail
to understand the mindset that some have which is that the only thing a
manual tranny is for is for being a racer ... 

I've been driving cars for well over 30 years now ... and for the past
28 of them it has been exclusively in vehicles with manual trannies ...
in fact that is a main reason why I've stuck with Audis.  Furthermore,
I've managed to come across a female (SWMBO) who has very similar views
... in fact she may be more adamant about sticking to MTs than I am!  

I'd be hard pressed to believe the traffic is any more difficult down
east than it is here in Sillycon Valley ... and frankly I don't find
that driving a MT to be bothersome, even in traffic.  In fact, it can
help considerably ... I can leave the tranny in an appropriate gear and
control my speed with only the throttle.  I also enjoy coasting down
long grades knowing that the engine isn't consuming any fuel and I don't
have to use the brakes as much.  To me, operating the transmission while
driving is just part of the job ... hey, if we had more folks driving MT
cars perhaps they'd be paying more attention to their responsibilities
as drivers ... 

So to those of you who prefer automatics, I say that's great for you ...
and I wish I could see folks feel that way about those of us who prefer
manual transmissions too ...

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)