Somewhere in an alternate universe, cars still have three pedals and making a 1,800-horsepower hypercar with a manual gearbox isn't considered complete lunacy. Oh wait - that's not an alternate universe, that's actually happening right now. In what might be the last great hurrah of the manual transmission, manufacturers are stuffing more power than ever through stick shifts, presumably because someone forgot to tell them it's impossible. So then, here are the top 10 most powerful stick-shift cars. Honourable Mention: A Manual Zonda Just when you thought Pagani had finished building Zondas (for the 47th time), they've gone and created another one. This time, they've taken a 760-series Roadster and done something that would make most modern supercar manufacturers faint: they've fitted it with a proper manual gearbox. Based on the 760-series platform, this red and carbon fiber masterpiece packs the same 7.3-liter naturally-aspirated AMG V12 that makes 760 horsepower - hence the name, in case you were wondering why they didn't call it the "Quite Fast One." But instead of the usual paddle-shift setup, there's now a proper six-speed manual poking up through the center console like a middle finger to progress. The car belongs to Mike Yin, a man who apparently looked at his collection of several dozen hypercars and thought "You know what would make this better? Another Zonda, but this time with three pedals." And you know what? He's absolutely right. In a world where even Ferrari won't sell you a manual anymore, this might just be the ultimate expression of analog supercar madness. 10. GMA T.50 Top Speed: 190 mphPower: 654 hp @ 11,500 rpmTorque: 344 lb-ft @ 9,000 rpm0-60: 2.8 seconds Gordon Murray looked at modern supercars and decided they were all too complex. So he built what might be the last purely mechanical hypercar - a center-seat, naturally aspirated V12 with a proper manual gearbox. The engine is a 3.9-liter Cosworth V12 that revs to 12,100 rpm, which is the sort of number that makes other engineers claim it's impossible. The whole car weighs just 2,174 pounds, which means it has a better power-to-weight ratio than most hypercars while being more analog than a sundial. The manual transmission is an H-pattern six-speed that's been lightened and perfected to the point where it feels more precise than laser surgery. 9. Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Top Speed: 200 mphPower: 668 hp @ 6,400 rpmTorque: 659 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm0-60: 3.6 seconds The CT5-V Blackwing is what happens when Cadillac engineers drink too much coffee and decide to build a BMW M5 killer. It uses a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 paired with a Tremec 6-speed manual, making it the most powerful manual production car GM has ever built. The transmission has a twin-disc clutch and active rev matching, though like the Corvette, you can turn that off if you're feeling brave. The car features structural aluminum belly pans and a sophisticated aero package that produces genuine downforce. The electronic limited-slip differential can handle being thrashed on track all day, and the magnetic ride control suspension reads the road 1,000 times per second. It's a proper driver's car disguised as a luxury sedan. 8. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Top Speed: 199 mphPower: 717 hp @ 6,000 rpmTorque: 656 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm0-60: 3.6 seconds Dodge took one look at modern technology and decided "nah." The result was the Hellcat - a car with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that makes 717 hp and sends it all to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual borrowed from the Viper. It's probably the most American thing since deep-fried butter. The Tremec TR-6060 transmission was one of the few manual gearboxes that could handle this much power without turning into very expensive confetti. The car came with two key fobs - a black one that limited power to "only" 500 hp, and a red one that unleashed the full 717 hp. Because sometimes you want your tire-shredding muscle car to be slightly less tire-shredding. 7. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C7) Top Speed: 212 mphPower: 755 hp @ 6,300 rpmTorque: 715 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm0-60: 2.85 seconds The last front-engine Corvette went out with a bang louder than most firework displays. The ZR1 combined a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 with a 7-speed manual transmission that somehow didn't explode when faced with 715 lb-ft of torque. The gearbox actually came with rev-matching technology, but you could turn it off if you wanted to prove you could heel-and-toe better than a computer. The aero package produces more downforce than any previous production Corvette - 950 pounds at top speed. The supercharger was so big it stuck up through the hood, requiring what GM called a "halo hood" but what normal people would call "a massive bulge that looks like the engine is trying to escape." 6. Aston Martin Victor Top Speed: 235 mphPower: 836 hp @ 7,000 rpmTorque: 605 lb-ft @ 6,000 rpm0-60: 3.5 seconds If you're going to build a one-off supercar, you might as well go all out. The Victor combines the chassis of a One-77, the suspension from a Vulcan, and a naturally aspirated V12 that's been turned up to 836 hp. Then, just to make sure everyone knows you're properly mad, you add a six-speed manual from a race car. The transmission is a modified version of the single-clutch automated manual from the One-77, converted to full manual operation. The entire car had to be reengineered around this transmission choice, including a completely custom clutch and flywheel setup. The result is essentially what would happen if Aston Martin from the 1960s had access to modern technology but kept their old-school philosophy. Yes, I know this one's a roadster. Delete your comment. 5. Pagani Utopia Top Speed: 240 mphPower: 852 hp @ 6,000 rpmTorque: 811 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm0-60: 3.0 seconds Horacio Pagani looked at the world of dual-clutch transmissions and decided that his newest creation needed something more engaging. The result is a 7-speed manual transmission that's essentially a work of art in itself. Each shift lever is carved from a solid block of aluminum and weighs just 485 grams. The entire gear selection mechanism is exposed, like something from a Swiss watch. The engine is a Mercedes-AMG V12 that's been thoroughly massaged by the folks in Affalterbach. Twin turbochargers help it produce 852 hp, but more importantly, they help deliver 811 lb-ft of torque from just 2,000 rpm. The car weighs just 2,822 pounds thanks to extensive use of carbon-titanium in its construction. It's basically a lightweight track car that happens to have an interior that makes a Rolls-Royce look a bit cheap. 4. NILU Hypercar Top Speed: 248 mph (Claimed)Power: 1,070 hp @ 10,000 rpmTorque: 634 lb-ft0-60: Sub 3.0 seconds When everyone else is going turbo and hybrid, NILU decided to build a naturally aspirated V12 that revs to over 10,000 rpm and connect it to a proper 7-speed manual gearbox. It's like they found the holy grail of automotive engineering and decided to add a clutch pedal to it. The engine is a work of art - 6.5 liters of naturally aspirated fury that makes its peak power just shy of the sort of rpm where most engines would prefer to become very expensive paperweights. Only 69 will be built (15 track-only, 54 road-legal), and each one is essentially a time machine back to when hypercars were simpler but no less insane. 3. Koenigsegg CC850 Top Speed: 250+ mphPower: 1,385 hp on E85Torque: 1,020 lb-ft0-60: 2.7 seconds Leave it to Christian von Koenigsegg to look at the problem of manual transmissions in hypercars and decide to reinvent the entire concept. The CC850 features what they call the "Engage Shift System" - a transmission that's both a 9-speed automatic AND a 6-speed manual with a clutch pedal. It's the sort of solution that makes other engineers need to lie down in a dark room. The party piece is a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes different power outputs depending on what fuel you put in it. Regular gas? Only 1,185 hp. E85? Now you're looking at 1,385 hp. The gearbox can handle both, plus it lets you pretend you're shifting gears yourself while actually having a computer make sure you don't accidentally select reverse at 200 mph. 2. Hennessey Venom GT Spyder Top Speed: 265.6 mph (verified)Power: 1,451 hp @ 7,200 rpmTorque: 1,287 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm0-60: 2.4 seconds What do you get when you stuff a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 into something that started life as a Lotus? The fastest manual car in the world - at least until its bigger brother came along. The Venom GT used a modified version of the Ricardo 6-speed manual from the Ford GT, because apparently, that was the only transmission they could find that wouldn't explode when faced with 1,287 lb-ft of torque. The engine itself is based on the LS7 V8, but calling it "based on" is like saying the Space Shuttle is based on a firework. Every component was either upgraded or completely redesigned. The car set multiple speed records, including 0-186 mph in 13.63 seconds, which is the sort of acceleration that makes astronauts feel inadequate. 1. Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster Top Speed: 311+ mph (estimated)Power: 1,817 hp @ 8,000 rpmTorque: 1,193 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm0-60: "Yes" The Venom F5-M required Hennessey to completely redesign their carbon fiber monocoque just to fit three pedals and a stick. The firewall had to be modified, the center console was raised, and they even developed a bespoke gated shifter that's closer to mechanical artwork than a simple gear lever. The transmission itself is a heavily modified unit that can somehow handle more torque than a small locomotive. Power comes from their "Fury" V8 - a 6.6-liter twin-turbo monster that makes most nuclear reactors seem a bit weedy. Every component had to be reinforced to handle the forces involved, including the clutch, which is probably strong enough to stop the Earth's rotation. Only 12 will be made, each costing $2.65 million, and they're all sold. Presumably to people who think regular hypercars are for wimps. And on that bombshell, I need to go explain to my accountant why I've just tried to remortgage my house twelve times. Though I suspect "because they all have manual gearboxes" might not be the most convincing argument.
