The Chevrolet C8 Corvette is the newest redesign for the popular sports car and the latest edition to a heritage of mid-engine cars. It has been common for many exotic cars to have the mid-engine layout. Still, American muscle has kept the classic front-engine design for decades, making the new C8 Corvette incredibly innovative and exciting. What would make an affordable sports car even more appealing? A manual transmission, of course.

The long-awaited C8 Corvette

For years Chevy teased us with the idea of releasing the beloved Corvette with a mid-engine layout. Many exotic cars and supercars have already taken to the mid-engine set up, dating back in popularity to the Lamborghini Miura and beyond. From design styles to performance, we didn’t really know what to expect from the car, but many of us we at least expecting the option for a stick shift.

A slight let down

Chevrolet Corvette purists might have been more than a little let down by the new mid-engine Corvette. Very little of the car reminds us of the Chevy racing heritage that we valued so much. There is a lot to the C8 that many people love, but it does deviate drastically from the car we all know and love. The new sports car is more modern and can offer more performance capabilities. While Chevy maintained the car’s affordable pricing, they let us down by ditching the manual transmission.

A future in aftermarket options

While there is no current option to get the mid-engined C8 Corvette with a manual transmission, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Chevrolet has made it clear that they are perfectly fine with the Corvette as an automatic, and they haven’t made any promises to produce a stick shift in the future. This has become a trend among sports cars, and even supercars, but several aftermarket manufacturers have stepped up to the plate in the past.

It is possible and even likely that an aftermarket modification shop will likely create a manual-transmission swap for the C8 Chevrolet Corvette. It is something that we have seen in several other popular cars that lost their manual transmission, so it is logical to assume one will be made for the new Corvette. While these transmission swaps can be pretty costly, some drivers find that they are well worth the expense.

It is sad for many driving enthusiasts to see the manual transmission die off. We saw it for many Lamborghinis and other exotic cars, but many people never expected to lose it in the Corvette. For now, owners will have to settle for an automatic transmission, which might not be as fun to some owners.