It would figure that something would be complaint-worthy about the 2020 Ford Shelby GT500. Moments after the presentation had happened at the North American International Auto Show, you could see a trend: “DCT only?” “No six-speed manual, WTF Ford?” “#savethemanual #savethestick”. It’s true: the GT500 is going to be running a Tremec-sourced seven-speed dual clutch unit, one that is now rumored to also appear in the mid-engine Loch Ness Monster that is the mid-engined Corvette. 100 millesecond shift times are nothing to sneeze at, especially if you’re honestly going to race your new fire-breathing pony around more than just Interstate onramps, but there are quite a few dinosaurs and manual transmission fans that aren’t too impressed with lightning-quick shifts and paddles that actually work worth a damn.
According to a Road and Track piece, the head engineer of Ford Performance and Mustang, Carl Widmann, did hint that the GT500 could end up with a six-speed from the factory if there was enough demand. Naturally, there was an immediate swell across the Internet: tell Ford you want a six-speed in the new Shelby. It’s your duty as a gearhead. And that brings up an interesting thought: if any of the three of us found ourselves in a position where purchasing a GT500 was simply a matter of picking colors and options, money no object, I believe that all three of us would go for the manual trans because we like that sort of thing. But none of us are going to be near a GT500 outside of a press deal because of the real world. We don’t have a firm price point on the new snake, but if the current Mustang GT and Shelby GT350 is anything to consider, the kind of people that will buy this car mostly won’t want to bother with a stick and pedal. It’ll be too archaic, too old.
What’s your take, readers? Guaranteed perfect shifts faster than any human could ever manage but with no soul, or be a touch slower but have the satisfaction of slamming that shifter home over and over again?
I have an 08 GT500 and part of the reason is the 6 speed that doesn’t have the issues the Boss 302 had. I don’t have the money for a new GT500 but I would want it to be a manual if I could. That being said if there was only the DCT available then I’d just have to spank Hellcats with that !
I foresee broken DCT input shafts everywhere a GT500 is driven hard with traction. And maybe even without traction. I’m not an “everything sucks” kind of guy, but I think Ford went in the wrong direction with the DCT only idea.
Ford must have some real knuckle heads now days in charge. I saw were they are going to quit making cars.Just gona make the Mustang . They will no longer make any other”car” ,just SUV’s and trucks. Now they build a super car without a stick(that’s what I think I read) . Like I said .They must have some new knuckle heads in charge.
I am a transmission guy. I can build an auto or manual trans. My Father owned a trans shop, I worked on the automatic transmission development program for the first Ferarri Automatic, my kids both learned to drive and had manual trans first cars. 3rd pedals are awesome but..Driving a DCT that works as it should is an eye opener. After a few days with a DCT, a manual feels a little (lot) dated performance wise. A clutch pedal and a shifter knob do make the driver a part of the drive line and that in itself is great but if its purely performance you are seeking, technology is the way.
Joe, when you can choose the launch rpm and ferocity with the same ease that you can do it with a clutch, I’ll understand them.
Otherwise, they’re training wheels.
There’s honestly no reason why you couldn’t have a clutch pedal for launches, and use a pneumatic or solenoid-type operation to go through the gears, using a sequential setup.
Whole point of these cars is the driver to be one with the machine. DCT might be faster, but so is an automatic today.
They move to the DCT because they can control the torque the drivetrain see’s with it. As you pull on that paddle. Something they can’t with the driver rowing. todays performance cars, they have found away to make huge power, but everything behind it, still is made of materials with set strengths . and they are lower than what the engine can produe. So they need to control it. with torque management. DCT allows this. a manual stick shifted car does not.
Aston Martin tried this and it was hated. They had to offer a kit to fix it. I have the autoshift tailshaft from behind a V12 sitting on my shop floor. I machined the shift rod and replaced the tailshaft with one that fits the proper shifter.
DCT Automatic, electric motors, traction control, abs, all make cars faster and safer . When I drive newer performance cars I always think of that little pig on the commercials, Whee! I like driving older manuals for the feeling of being part of the car and the car feeling alive. Now excuse me while I go shoe my horse and hook up the buggy lol… Glad I’m old, cars are beginning to suck big time