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I prefer manual because there is a level of involvement with the car that just isn't there with an AT, even with paddle shifters. It goes beyond kicking a pedal and moving a stick around. Getting the timing right, feeling the synchros mesh, blending the clutch engagement with power, blpping the throttle, and nailing the perfect heel-toe double-clutch downshift are things that I enjoy and just aren't available with an AT. To me, this car is about the driving experience and the joy it brings me, even on a day-to-day basis on the way to work and back.
I've driven cars with slushboxes (nothing near as good as the 86 AT, granted) and I missed the simple act of having a clutch pedal to toy with. I owned a 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII and I sold it for a Corolla with a stick and loved every minute. For me, there is just a visceral component to driving a MT that I can't get from an auto. It's not about what's "proper" or "real". It's about how the car makes me feel by involving me in the whole process of driving it.
That said, I also believe that a pure competition track car is better with "flappy paddles". There's so much more involved in nailing the best lap, that having a computer handle the gear changes is a welcome improvement. So if I were building a track car, I'd go for an auto box. (Not so sure about the gear choices in the 86 AT though. I would likely go to a shorter final drive)
This is not trying to make a case of one over the other. Different people have different needs and different priorities. For myself, shifting is like breathing, so I don't mind rowing my own gears. But others will choose differently. I don't think badly of them for their choice, I just wish they enjoyed the level of involvement I do.
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