Buying a new car with a manual transmission in the U.S. isn’t easy. Stick-equipped cars are a rare breed, numbering around 30 at our count, and that figure virtually halves when you filter the list to only include vehicles with a minimum power output of 300 hp (304 PS).
Since last year we’ve lost the Dodge Challenger, and Ford no longer offers a manual transmission option to Mustang EcoBoost buyers, only to those shelling out for the big V8 in the all-new 2024 car. Some automakers are now treating a manual gearbox as a luxury upgrade for their wealthier customers in the way they once treated automatics.
More: BMW M Says It’s Done With DCTs, Manual Gearbox Will Die After The M2
But on a positive note we gained four new 300+ hp manuals this year from Acura, BMW, Ford and Lotus. You probably ought to buy them now though, because with the switch to electric power and tightening emissions regulations, these kind of DIY transmissions are only going to get harder to come by.
Acura Integra Type S
The Integra Type S is a new entry on out list for 2024, and a very welcome one. Essentially a Civic Type R for people who find the Honda a little too visually shouty, the Integra gets the same basic 2.0-liter turbo four, six-speed manual and limited-slip differential, but also delivers a few extra horses. The Teg makes 320 hp (324 hp) to the U.S.-spec Honda’s 315 hp (319 PS), but there’s no change in the 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) torque output.
BMW M2
Pretty, the BMW M2 is not. That boxy front bumper looks like something out of a 2000s tuning mag. But the smallest true M car delivers a far bigger visual punch than the M4, costs $15k less and is barely any slower. The 453 hp (460 PS) 3.0-liter inline six loses 20 hp (20 PS) in its transplant from the base M4, but makes the same 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, meaning zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) comes up in 4.2 seconds, only a tenth down on in its big brother. An M2 with the optional (at no cost) eight-speed automatic transmission does the sixty run in 3.9 seconds, but we’ll take that 0.3-second hit, thanks.
BMW M3
BMW’s stick-shift options are pretty thin these days. You can’t get one on the M240i or M340i, so the M3 sedan is one of only three manual-available models. And even then the M3’s manual activity is restricted to the base 473 hp (480 PS) car. The 503 hp (510 PS) Competition sedan is auto-only, as is the new M3 Touring, which is only available in Competition guise with xDrive all-wheel drive (and not available in the U.S. anyway).
BMW M4
The M3’s manual availability is mirrored in the 4-Series coupe lineup. The M440i isn’t available with a stick, so nothing less than an M4 will do if you want to row your own gears, and that option disappears if you upgrade to the 503 hp M4 Competition, or the M4 Convertible. Previously, we might have said that was reason enough to stick with the base 473 hp M4, but the equally fast and more affordable M2’s arrival has rendered it kind of redundant, unless you really need those extra rear legroom inches.
Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing
Who’d have thought it? Cadillac, one of the brands that pioneered the use of automatic transmissions way back before WWII, is one of a handful of luxury OEMs keeping the manual flame alive. The plain V-Series’ 325 hp (330 PS) 2.7-liter four is only available with a 10-speed auto, but the hardcore Blackwing version’s 472 hp (479 PS) 3.6-liter V6 can be paired with a six-speed manual, and saves you $3,175 compared with choosing the auto alternative.
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Although the base CT5-V is equipped with the same 472 hp (479 PS) 3.6-liter V6 as its CT4-V Blackwing little brother, the manual option sadly isn’t carried over. But step up to the 668-hp (677 PS) supercharged 6.2-liter V8 CT5-V Blackwing and both two and three-pedal transmissions are available, which is something its Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E-Class rivals will never offer.
Chevy Camaro
The Corvette is supposed to be America’s favorite sports car, but it’s definitely not that for manual transmission fans. You can’t get a stick-shift C8, but you can get all flavors of Camaro with a manual transmission, from the base 335 hp (340 PS) 3.6-liter V6, to the 650 hp (659 PS) supercharged 6.2-liter ZL1, taking in the 455 hp (461 hp) naturally aspirated 6.2 V8 along the way. Though GM dropped the little 2.0-liter inline four for 2024, a Camaro is still the cheapest 300+ hp manual on sale in America, and one of only two available for less than $40k. But Chevy will drop the Camaro altogether for 2025, so if you want one, this is your last chance.
Ford Bronco
Ford offers three powertrains in the Bronco, the most exciting being the 418 hp (424 PS) 3.0 V6 in the Raptor. Sadly, neither that or the mid-pack 2.7 V6 can be paired with Ford’s seven-speed manual; if you’re determined to exercise your left leg you’ll have to make do with the base 2.0-liter EcoBoost four. Still, at 300 hp (304 PS), it’s only 30 hp (30 PS) down on the 2.7 V6 and saves you more than $4k.
Ford Mustang
Related: 67% Of 2024 Mustang Buyers Go For The V8, A Quarter Want The Manual
The Mustang is all-new for 2024, but the recipe is as traditional as it gets, so you can still pair a gutsy V8 with a manual transmission. In fact, in 2024 the only way to get a Mustang with a stick is to go the V8 route. While the base 2.3-liter EcoBoost four gains 5 hp (5 PS) this year for a total of 315 hp (319 PS), it’s sole transmission option is a 10-speed automatic.
The Coyote V8 in the GT doesn’t just retain its manual option for 2024, it gets a power boost, too. The naturally aspirated 5.0-liter mill kicks out 480 hp (487 PS), up from the 450 hp (456 PS) delivered by the 2023’s entry-level V8, and the top-spec Dark horse makes a nice round 500 ponies (507 PS).
Honda Civic Type R
The 2024 Type R is like a chunky chronograph to the Acura Integra Type S’s classier dress watch, both featuring the same basic turbo’d 2.0-liter movement inside the case. Like the Type S, the Type R comes only with a six-speed manual, front-wheel drive and a limited-slip diff to help hook you into the apex when you sink the right pedal. It makes 315 hp (319 PS) to the Acura’s 320 hp (324 PS), but it’s the Honda and not the Acura that can brag about being the fastest front-wheel drive car around the Nurburgring.
Lotus Emira
New to the U.S. for 2024, the Lotus Emira picks up where the Evora left off, but adds a ton more luxury and refinement, plus a new 2.0-liter Mercedes-AMG inline four that pumps out 360 hp (365 PS). AMG doesn’t offer that engine with a stick though, and Lotus didn’t bother adapting one, so the 2.0 Emira comes only with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Salvation, for manual fans, comes in the form of the Toyota V6 that’s carried over from the Evora. It makes 400 hp (406 PS) and has the added bonus of undercutting the four to the tune of $13k.
Nissan Z
Good news first? Nissan has whipped up a Nimso Z for 2024 that features a ton of styling and suspension upgrades that should make it better to look at and drive. The bad news is it’s only available with an automatic transmission, which is reason enough to save a bundle and go for a lower-spec Z.
For less than the price of a four-cylinder, 255 hp (259 PS) Toyota Supra, the big-value $43,305 Z Sport serves up a 400 hp (406 PS) twin-turbo V6 that makes 18 hp (18 PS) more than the $55,595 3.0 Supra. The Z Performance adds desirable parts like 19-inch Rays wheels, an LSD, spoilers, uprated brakes and premium audio system, but it also adds $10k to the price.
Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman
Like the Nissan Z, the Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman offer the chance to stir your own ratios at every price point, until you ascend to the very top of the range. The base 2.0 turbo four’s 300 hp (304 PS) means it narrowly gains entry to our 300+ club (though in Europe Porsche rates the same engine at 296 hp / 300 PS…), but the 347 hp (350 PS) S models, which start at $81,950, comfortably qualify, and are better to drive.
Better still are the GTS Boxster and Cayman, that GTS badge unlocking 394 hp (400 PS) of six-cylinder power and still giving you the choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed PDK transmissions. Sadly, the Boxster and Cayman T, Spyder and GT4, all of which were supplied with manual transmissions, have been retired for 2024 and the 911 GT3-powered Boxster RS Spyder and Cayman GT4 RS are PDK-only affairs.
Porsche 911
You can’t get a stick on the entry-level $116,050 Porsche 911 Carrera, much like you can’t get one on a four-cylinder Mustang or Toyota Supra, the option only opening up starting with the $126,550 Carrera T.
You haven’t been able to buy a manual Turbo for years, but you can get a three-pedal setup on the 473 hp (480 PS) GTS, 502 hp (510 PS) GT3 and GT3 Touring. Porsche doesn’t offer a stick on the GT3 RS but it does on the the new limited edition 518 hp (525 PS) 911 S/T, which is basically a GT3 RS minus the big wing and tweaked for road use.
Toyota GR Corolla
The Toyota GR86 coupe can be optioned with a manual, but its 228 hp (231 PS) boxer motor is too anemic to meet our 300-horse minimum. The 300 hp (304 PS) Corolla does qualify, and for now it’s exclusively available with a stick, though an auto will be added in the next year or so. Sadly, Toyota has dropped the raw, lightweight Morizo Edition for 2024, but a base, $37,195 Core model with the $1,180 Performance Package (with front and rear LSDs) is all you really need, or there’s a new Premium grade, which gets the diffs, a tastier interior and boosted sound system for $41,015.
Toyota GR Supra
The lack of a manual option must have lost Toyota a few GR Supra sales over the years, but that omission was rectified for 2023. Unfortunately for Toyotam that coincided with the arrival of the conceptually similar but even more affordable Nissan Z. You still can’t get a manual transmission on the 255 (259 PS) 2.0-liter, four-cylinder car, meaning you have to find $55,595 and buy an entry-level 3.0 to give your left leg something to do. But at least its 382 hp (387 PS) means your right leg will have fun too. New for 2024 is a 45th Anniversary Supra special edition that pays tribute to the 1990s Mk4, but will set you back $65,470.
VW Golf R
The Save The Manuals movement took a body blow this year when VW revealed that neither the Golf R or GTI will be available with a manual transmission after the end of the 2024 model year, a victim of planned Euro 7 emissions regulations that ironically appear to have been dismantled at the last minute. Given the regulatory turnaround it’s possible that VW may reverse its own decision, but don’t count on it. As things stand, this is your last chance to buy a hot, stick-shift Golf, though the Mexico-built 228 hp (231 PS) Jetta GLI manual will live on.
That’s your list of 2024 cars available in North America with more than 300 hp and a manual transmission option. Leave a comment and let us know if we left one out, and which one you’d pick.