Coolest manual sportscars

You all know the guy (or girl) and it could even be you or me (yes, definitely me).

We will only buy cars with manual transmissions, which these days can sometimes feel like saying you’re into a weird niche of porn given everyone else has gone vanilla (automatics, snore).

Stick-grabbing jokes aside, the used car classifieds can throw up some wonderful oddballs from yesteryear perfect for the sort of weirdo who wants a manual with, for example, a convertible roof and a sub-five-metre-long body, plus maybe a dollop of woodgrain and chrome on the side.

So here’s to some of the coolest five- and six-speed DIY-shifters around.

2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage manual

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Nothing exceptional about a coupe with a manual, is there? Sure, but just look at the decade-old V8 Vantage and absorb one of the most beautiful vehicles in the world all for the same price as a brand new BMW M2.

It’s rear-wheel drive, produces 283kW at 7300rpm thanks to a sonorous 4.3-litre naturally aspirated V8 and gets from zero to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds. So it’s a hot, brisk and (relatively) cheap manual.

1994 Audi RS2 Avant

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Think of a German compact about the same size as today’s Audi A3. Then add a wagon back to it, an all-wheel drive system that’s an evolution of the rally-winning Audi Quattro, brakes and wheels from Porsche, plus a crazy-for-the-time 235kW/410Nm 2.2-litre turbo five-cylinder engine with power delivered like a big-boost WRX, and you have this (very) limited-run RS2 Avant; worth about $80K today.

2004 BMW 645Ci Convertible

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Let’s note upfront that this 6 Series costs less than $40,000 today. Now we have your attention, because this long (4820mm), heavy (1815kg), four-seat proper Bavarian drop-top melds a six-speed manual with a 245kW/450Nm 4.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine that will cover 0-100km/h in 6.1sec.

Sure, an M6 coupe is almost this cheap, but (boo and hiss) the V10 M is a dreaded single-clutch auto-only.

2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10

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There are plenty of ‘yes, but’ moments with this 8.4-litre naturally aspirated V10 manual pumping 447kW/760Nm to the rear wheels.

Yes, it’s a decade-old Dodge that had to be converted to right-hook, yet still costs deep into six figures. But a similarly priced Audi R8 V10 makes ‘only’ 386kW/530Nm from a piddly 5.2 litres. Yes, it’s probably big and imprecise to steer and will fall apart. But, but... 8.4L V10 man.

2017 HSV Senator 30 Years

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How utterly, incredibly awesome is it that Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) produced a luxury-oriented, spoiler-less Senator sedan right to the end with a manual.

With a 410kW/691Nm 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, flawless adaptive dampers, multi-spoke wheels and chrome mirror caps, this is the classiest model grade within a range that isn’t exactly known for class. And it will be worth heaps in the future.