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You’ve probably seen the sticker on someone’s beloved stick-shift car: “save the manuals.” They’re referring to manual transmissions and their ever-shrinking popularity. Still, a few performance cars out there refuse to take away the option to bang through gears using an old-school three-pedal setup. Here are some of the fastest manual cars you can buy, like the new Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.

  • Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
  • Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
  • Ford Mustang Mach 1
  • BMW M2 Competition
  • Honorable Mention: 2023 Toyota GR Supra

How fast is the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing?

With an optional six-speed manual transmission, the CT5-V Blackwing is a fun car masquerading as a sensible sedan. However, it’s not just fun; it is painfully fast. The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will blast to sixty miles per hour (mph) in just 3.4 seconds. That firmly secures the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing the top spot on the list of some of the fastest new cars you can snag with a manual transmission.

Is the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fast?

The Chevrolet Camaro has already proven its worth as a track-focused derivation of the storied pony car. In addition to its corner-carving credentials, the ZL1 is brutally fast. Car and Driver prompted a 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to launch from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Speed like that makes the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 one of the fastest new cars you can still buy with a manual transmission!

Can you buy a Ford Mustang Mach 1 with a manual transmission?

Ford has done a fairly admirable job of keeping the manual transmission in the Mustang, with the apparent exception of the newest Shelby GT500s. Still, you can get an EcoBoost, GT, or Mach 1 with a three-pedal setup. The Mach 1 isn’t just pretty, though; Hagerty managed to get a Mach 1 to sprint to sixty in just 3.8 seconds. That makes the Ford Mustang Mach 1 one of the fastest new cars with a manual transmission.

The Cadillac Blackwing and the Ford Mustang Mach 1, like this one at the track, is one of the fastest cars with a manual transmission.
Ford Mustang Mach 1 | Ford

The BMW M2 Competition offers a manual transmission and good times

The BMW M2 Competition isn’t on this list purely because of its 0-60 mph time. Instead, the M2 Competition makes the list because it is one of the most exemplary driver’s cars of the last few years. Car and Driver loved the track-ready credentials of the car but said that the ride might be too unforgiving for daily driver use. Still, a sharp little M car that can hit sixty in just 3.9 seconds is nothing to dismiss. 

The Cadillac Blackwing and BMW M2 Competition are some of the fastest cars with manual transmissions you can buy.
The BMW M2, like the M2 Competition, is a serious driver’s car | Frederic J. Brown, Getty Images

Honorable Mention for Fastest Manual Cars: 2023 Toyota GR Supra

The Toyota Supra is a cult classic car reborn from a Toyota-BMW collaboration. However, the first iterations arrived without the familiar three-pedal and stick setups that JDM fans want in their Supras. Also, right as it seemed the new Toyota GR Supra was going to bow to the upcoming Nissan Z, the automaker announced a manual Supra, and it is going to be quick.

If you don’t believe it, the automatic version hit 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds in Hagerty’s testing. That earns it a spot among the fastest sports cars with an incoming manual transmission. Scroll down to the following article to read more about affordable, fast cars!

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