Modern paddle-shift autos and DCTs are infinitely better than older automatics. You can still have much of the fun and control on a winding road you would in a manual-equipped car, plus all the convenience of being able to delegate shift duties when you hit traffic.

But rowing a big metal wand around to swap your own ratios is still a more special experience. And that’s one of the reasons why values for older manual performance cars are often higher than they are for the automatic alternative.

All manual transmissions are not created equal, however, and we’re not just talking about the number of cogs in the casing. Some are a joy to use, and others will have you hoping you get T-boned every time you take the car out so you can buy the vastly better automatic version you should have bought in the first place. Alfa Romeo’s fantastic Giulia Quadrifoglio works much better with an auto than the slightly clunky ZF manual available in some markets, for instance.

Related: Safety Tech Will Kill Manual Transmissions Before EVs Do, Says Report

So what are the best manual transmissions you’ve shifted, or the ones you’d love to grab a hold of and test for yourself? Here are a few of our favorites (and least favorites) to kick things off:

Porsche 911

Much like 1997 was a watershed for Porsche 911 engines as they switched from air- to water-cooling, 1986 was the same for 911 transmissions. Early 911 shifters, much like the ones on old VW Beetles, were light and could be moved around quickly with practice, but the huge amount of free play in the first inch or so of movement was as disconcerting as dead air on a radio show.

Things improved massively with the tighter-feeling G50 transmission that arrived midway through 1986, but even that feels like you’ve accidentally grabbed hold of random femur while rummaging through Pol Pot’s basement compared to the six-speed manual in the current 911 GT3.

You might argue that the sweet spot is the 993-generation built between 1994 and 1997 which benefited from the improved shift quality and an upgrade to six gears, but still had the classic floor-hinged pedals.

Lamborghini Murcielago

We’ve all gazed longingly at pictures of open-gated shifters on classic Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but the reality is that while they look cool, they can be less than slick in operation. There’s definitely appeal in driving something that rewards patience, effort and accuracy, otherwise we’d have all CVTs and autos years ago, even for our fun weekend cars. But you definitely want to make sure you get your heel and toe, third-to-second downshift licked before you try impressing a new date with your skills in that Lamborghini Miura.

One car that bucks that trend is the six-speed manual Lamborghini Murcielago from the early 2000s. That ball-topped chrome wand looks like it’ll make you sweat more than Rocky running in a trash bag, but it’s actually a really sweet shift.

Honda S2000

The Mazda MX-5 Miata’s shifter is often hailed as a classic, and for good reason. But in our experience the Honda S2000’s is even better. So short of throw it makes a Little League kid look like a Major League pitcher, and topped by a beautiful aluminum shift knob that’ll send shivers up your arm on a winter cold-start, the S2000’s mandatory six-speed manual is a joy.

Related: Gated-Shift Ferrari With No Clutch, CVT-Equipped F1 Car And Other Transmission Oddities

Which is just as well, because it’s connected to a VTEC four-cylinder motor with all the low-end pull of a 125cc Moto GP bike. If we were in charge of the Smithsonian we’d already be prepping an S2000 shifter retrospective for when the world’s last manual car is made.

Anything With A Hurst Pistol Grip

 

We’d never claim that the A838 four-speed bolted to vintage Chrysler muscle like this 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T shifted anything like as neatly as the six-speeder in the Honda S2000. But when it’s topped by a lever that looks as good as Hurst’s Pistol Grip it’s impossible not to love.

Manual, But Definitely Not Magical

Before we let those rose-tinted specs become a permanent fixture on our faces though, it’s worth remembering there are plenty of manual shifters that don’t warrant celebrating, let alone saving.

Like the ‘magic wand’ shifter in the original 850 cc Minis from the 1960s. At almost two foot long, it’s one-fifth the length of the entire car, and that means going from first to second feels like spinning the barrels on a Vegas slot machine.

The Peugeot 205 GTi is often claimed to be the greatest got hatch of all time, but it can also lay claim to having one of the worst gearshifts. Sloppy, vague and overlong, it wasn’t up to the standards of the rest of the car. Unless we’re talking about the interior quality, which was also terrible. But even the 205’s transmission is a pleasure to use compared with the one in the original S1 Lotus Elise.

Related: One In Four Ford Bronco Buyers Are Going For A Manual Gearbox

And then there’s the seven-speed manual transmission option in the Aston Martin Vantage that first appeared in the AMR version. Too many ratios and weird spring-bias in the lever means trying to find the correct gear is like trying to get your key in your front door’s lock after a three-day pub crawl.

Though Aston once claimed it would be the last company to sell manual sports cars, new boss Tobias Moers announced he was dropping the short-lived option this summer. And much as it pains us to admit it, we won’t miss it. The Vantage suits an auto and if you want a manual sports car Porsche does the job better.

What are your shifter heroes and villains? Leave a comment and let us know.