Auto V Manual

R

Rob M

Member
Just canvassing opinions really. Ive now promised myself that i will get myself an 'S' at some stage but, having never driven a manual V8, what are they REALLY like?
Ive had three Scimitars and one of them was an Auto. It was mega relaxing to drive, completely transforming the driving experience compared to the two manual overdrives i owned, the Auto was calming, the manuals, particularly the last one i had, made you want to exploit the performance and push on.
In fairness the Rover V8 auto and the Ford 3ltr V6 Auto cannot be compared, the V6, didnt feel right for me ( hence I sold it to get another manual) it was neither Martha or Arthur, relaxing BUT sluggish and no real performance when you wanted it.
So......I love The V8 auto ( which isnt sluggish 8) ) will i still love the manual or not?
Ive, sort of, posted this after reading the Triumph 2.5 PI article in Classics magazine. They reckon the manual tested is pretty quick etc. I drove an Auto version back in the mid 80s and found that the perrformance was very so so, even compared to cars around in that era.
If that all makes any sense... :wink:
 
I've always preferred manuals, and in the case of P6B's the best cars I've had have always been manual, but the box is weak, so you can't really use the perfomance if you want it to last. SD1 5 speeds are a great conversion though. I've had autos, of both 35 & 65 varieties and they're fine, but as I said, I'd always prefer a manual.
 
My 'S' has been off the road for a year now & I do miss driving it :( . They're a remarkably different car to the auto; much more of a 'driver's car'.

My Series 1 V8 auto is great, but different; it 'wafts' you around.
 
Rob M said:
Just canvassing opinions really. Ive now promised myself that i will get myself an 'S' at some stage but, having never driven a manual V8, what are they REALLY like?
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Hi Rob.

Spooky:- As my P6 is a manual (and that is all I test drove whilst looking to buy one), I have wondered how the autos drive :)

Mine is the V8 3500S, and already had a five speed fitted, and after a nice long drive in her over the weekend I would say she drives superbly, but I may be biased :?

We will have to test drive each others cars for an while to compare them :shock:
 
It's like comparing a blonde 36 26 36 to a brunette 36 26 36, both can be a lot of fun and a pleasure to operate, but equally both have their downsides.

Manual V8's are a ton of fun; personally I prefer blondes.
 
MADPOM said:
It's like comparing a blonde 36 26 36 to a brunette 36 26 36, both can be a lot of fun and a pleasure to operate, but equally both have their downsides.

Manual V8's are a ton of fun; personally I prefer blondes.
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Collars and cuffs aside, it's much easier to put a wig on a brunette that it is to convert an auto to manual :D

I've only ever driven modern autos so I can't comment on the differences with the P6. Like Phil, my 3500S has been off the road for almost a year and I too miss driving it. I would imagine the manual can waft along just as well as the auto, especially when the gear change mechanism is well sorted. I'm also sure the auto can be as driveable as the manual with a well sorted autobox and kick-down. Ultimately it depends what you want to do with your left foot :D

Dave
 
As everybody says - they're both great!

On the P6B, they both have major flaws. The 4 spd manual is weak and has need of an overdrive 5th, both solved with the SD1 5 spd conversion. The BW auto (both varieties), is a lovely box of its day, but is of the "slushmatic" school of autos, so not as easy to drive agressively as a modern auto. Again undergeared. For my money both solved by fitting the ZF HP22.

So if you were to compare a 5 spd manual with the 4 spd auto? I'd have the auto every time. Still OK to enjoy myself on a long run, infinitely more pleasant in normal modern stop start traffic. But the manual is pretty good! Provided you keep the standard cam you can use it as a 3 gear car - start in second, straight into 4th and 5th when the traffic clears.

So the real question is not which is best, but what sort of driving do you do?

Chris
 
codekiddie said:
v8guy said:
Think the answer is to enjoy what you got ( in the case of women or p6's :mrgreen: )
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I got away with two cars:- but another woman, and She'll be getting me coat!!!
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oh you beat me to it :mrgreen:
I have several cars and I better not comment on the other :wink:

Graeme
 
Food for thought then. Ive only ever driven Auto V8 P6s BUT I do love the idea of a manual model as a quick point to point car. I reckon the only answer is to get an S and keep my auto.... :mrgreen:
 
Auto all the way as far as I am concerned. Automatic was nothing new when the P6 came in but in my opinion the Borg Warner does a sensational job and I saw it in action from 1976 onwards, love that transmission. I didn't realise for a long time that there are only 3 gears in the auto which when I found out (1977?) just seemed mean when all other cars had 4 speed manual gearboxes. I started off with a Rover 2000SC Auto in 1976 which I loved but the car simply could NOT get up Reigate Hill without an enormous struggle , never forget that

After I got married in 1981, I spotted an immaculate Rover 2200TC in a car dealer forecourt and then of course, I was back to a manual (to the delight of my Dad!!)
 
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