Every Sports Car With A Manual Gearbox You Can Still Buy In 2024

As a new automotive future unfolds before us, the manual transmission is seeing less and less use. New technologies like CVTs and dual-clutch gearboxes are rendering the humble stick shift a thing of the past, much to every gearhead’s dismay. Despite continuously evolving through the years, it seems the days of truly being one with the car are coming to a close.

There are few feelings in this world quite like banging gears through a well-sorted manual, and luckily, there are still a few automakers who refuse to do away with the manual, at least for now. To mitigate some of the manual melancholy, CarBuzz has taken the time to compile a list of several sports cars you can buy new in 2024 that still have a good old-fashioned stick shift.

1 BMW Z4 M40i

Model Specs

The first entrant on our list of manual sports cars is the BMW Z4, an iconic nameplate for the Bavarian automaker since its inception in 2003. Since then, the recipe hasn’t changed much, as it’s retained the same basic outline for the past 21 years. It boasts a well-balanced rear-wheel drive platform as is customary of BMW, along with plenty of power and a handsome design.

Most importantly, you can option your BMW Z4 with a six-speed manual transmission. This means you can be in total control while torturing the pavement on some winding back roads on your way home from work.

2 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Model Specs

The Chevrolet Camaro can be considered one of the manual’s most steadfast champions, as it’s offered one every model year since 1967. However, as of 2024, the Chevrolet Camaro will be no more, as it’s been given the ax. You can still buy one new for now, so make sure to run down to your local Chevy dealer and pick one up before they’re gone for good. To make things even more disappointing, the end of the Camaro means the end of manuals for Chevrolet because the C8 Corvette no longer offers one.

Depression aside, the present is what matters, and you can presently get a manual Camaro SS with 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque coming from a good ol’ American 6.2-liter LT1 V8. Another great thing about the SS Camaro is its price, as you can step into a base 1SS with the LT1 V8 and a six-speed stick for just under $45,000 brand-new, a small price to pay for the last manual Chevrolet will likely produce.

3 Ford Mustang GT

Model Specs

The Americans make their second appearance on our list with the Ford Mustang GT. While Chevrolet is busy abandoning its devout fanbase by discontinuing the Camaro and the manual transmission altogether, Ford is continuing to make its iconic Mustang, as it has since 1965. Ford’s pony car recently got an all-new face and looks evermore menacing, as a muscle car should.

Those who spring for the well-priced GT package will be treated to a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that pushes out 480 horses and 418 lb-ft of torque, making for a 0-60 MPH time of 4.3 seconds. That is if you can shift the Getrag six-speed manual transmission fast enough. Getting into a Mustang GT is relatively easy compared to other manuals, as pricing starts at $42,495 for the base GT grade.

4 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Model Specs

When it comes to sports cars, few can match the genius simplicity of the Mazda MX-5. Since 1989, the Miata has stood at the forefront of simple, cheap, and well-sorted sports cars. 35 years on, the Miata can still easily capture the hearts of anyone who drives one, especially considering its meager entry price of just over $30,000. It won’t blow the doors off a Corvette or an Aston, but it’ll put a smile on your face just as big.

The MX-5’s engine, a 2.0-liter inline-four, produces just 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. However, because of the short-ratio gearbox and light body, the MX-5 can reach 60 MPH from a stop in 5.7 seconds. We don’t anticipate the MX-5 losing its manual transmission option any time soon.

5 Nissan Z

Model Specs

Nissan’s recently-resurrected Z gets a spot on our list of manual sports cars. The Z has been around in some capacity since 1969, with a couple of short breaks in between. However, throughout its tenure, it’s retained the same powerful, two-door DNA that’s shown success for decades. Now, the newest Z has taken styling cues from its roots and combined them with modern technological and aerodynamic advancements.

As expected of cars on our list, the Nissan Z can be optioned with a six-speed manual transmission and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 pushing 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. All this power in a small package means the Nissan Z can get from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.5 seconds. The new Z’s power-to-money ratio is also impressive, with its starting price of $42,970.

6 Porsche 911

Model Specs

Porsche’s champion, the 911, still offers a manual transmission. We should thank our lucky stars for this fact, as other higher-end automakers are ditching them left and right, with icons like Ferrari and Lamborghini dropping the stick altogether. It seems, for now, gearheads with a little bit more dough can still enjoy a purebred standard transmission in a car that’s been stubbornly designed for the past 61 years.

As is customary for Porsche, the 911 comes with a flat-six motor, boasting a displacement of three liters and a power rating sitting at 380 horses with 332 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to this flat-six power, the 911 can reach 60 MPH from a standstill in 4.3 seconds. There are seemingly innumerable versions of the 911, so we’re sticking to the base Carrera model when it comes to engine and power ratings. If you have the capital, you can step into a 911 for just $114,400.

7 Porsche 718

Model Specs

The Porsche 718 is widely known as the entry-level Porsche, or a foot in the door to driving excellence, some would say. However, it’s recently been confirmed that the Porsche 718 will be discontinued in several markets. Sales of non-RS 718 models will cease on July 1st of this year in the EU and several other countries due to new cybersecurity legislation. Luckily, the US is not part of this issue, so the 718 remains on sale for now.

At base level, the 718 comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four capable of producing 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, a respectable amount in an extremely lightweight car. You’ll also be able to get from 0 to 60 MPH in less than five seconds, as long as you can shift the six-speed manual fast enough. For US customers, you can expect to pay about $68,300 for an entry-level 718.

8 Toyota GR86

Model Specs

If the Toyota GR86 looks familiar, it’s because Subaru offers an identical version, the BRZ. The two models are produced side-by-side in the same plant and feature only very slight tweaks to their appearances between the two. The “86” in the GR86’s namesake hearkens back to the original iconic Toyota AE86 sports couple offered in the mid-1980s. Toyota reportedly wanted to recapture some of its simplicity and driving prowess with the resurrected model name.

The GR86 features a Subaru-built 2.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-four engine that can produce up to 232 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Despite the small amount of power, the GR86 can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.4 seconds. The best part of the GR86 is its price, which starts at just $29,300.

9 Toyota GR Supra

Model Specs

When it comes to icons, the Supra is one of those nameplates that even those without much automotive knowledge know by heart, largely thanks to the Supras of the 1990s. Today, Toyota revived the Supra with the help of BMW, which designed the engine and some other internal components, making it a serious sports car. The new Supra also looks like a million bucks without costing it.

At first, the Supra was only offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Luckily, there was so much well-deserved backlash regarding this blasphemy that Toyota began to offer a six-speed manual transmission starting with the 2023 model year. What can be better than a six-speed paired with a 382-horsepower, 369 lb-ft torque 3.0-liter BMW-built straight-six? Not much, especially considering you can get the 3.0-liter Supra to go from 0-60 MPH in 3.9 seconds. You can expect to pay at least $56,495 to get yourself into a 3.0-liter manual Supra.