If you want to say no to flappy paddles and embrace the analogue way of changing gear, this one is for you.
Flappy paddles have well and truly taken over the supercar game, and honestly, I’m ok with that. I love a manual, but I’m not a snob about it, and it ultimately depends on the car. I think the supercars of today with their torquey turbocharged punch, more usable nature and sheer amount of pace actually suit paddles. Frankly, I can’t imagine a manual Ferrari 296, but in the right application, there’s something about a proper manual supercar that even the very best paddles can’t match.
A clutch pedal, a physical gate, that split second where you — not a computer — decide what happens next. And with manuals now an endangered species, the cars that still offer them feel more relevant, more alive, and more desirable than ever. We’ve rounded up a handful of standout three-pedal machines currently available through our dealer partners — each one a reminder of why shifting for yourself will never go out of style.
2007 | 13,952 Miles | £159,995
The F430 Spider is already one of Ferrari’s sweetest naturally aspirated V8s, but in manual form, it becomes something else entirely. The open-gate click, the immediacy of the 4.3-litre V8 and the way the whole car shrinks around you makes it a rare modern Ferrari that feels genuinely analogue.
These manual 430s are becoming ever more desirable as people yearn for more analogue driving experiences, and that is shown in the price gap: a comparable F1 car with the same mileage and spec at the same dealer sits roughly £60,000 lower. That tells you everything you need to know about where the market is heading — Ferrari manuals are blue-chip, and the F430 is one of the last great open-top, open-gate experiences.
2025 (25) | 1,000 Miles | £72,780
Not a supercar, but a breath of fresh air which proves great driver’s cars for the road still exist. Lotus is one of the few modern brands still proudly flying the manual flag, and the V6 Emira proves exactly why. With its supercharged 3.5-litre V6, short, mechanical throw and a proper exposed linkage that moves like precision engineering art, it feels like a greatest-hits album of Lotus driver involvement with a welcome dose of modern refinement.
This First Edition example, barely run-in at 1,000 miles, remains one of the best-value true sports cars on the market. It’s modern and usable, yet still delivers that unmistakable Lotus purity through its hydraulic steering and perfectly judged chassis.
2017 | 17,372 Miles | £142,950
The Vantage GT8 takes the already-beloved V8 Vantage recipe and distils it into something rawer, louder and far more focused. With carbon everywhere, a titanium exhaust and a naturally aspirated 4.7-litre V8 that thrives on revs, it’s a car that rewards effort — and a manual gearbox suits that personality perfectly. The alternative single-clutch Sportshift option (which just 12 UK buyers opted for) isn’t the worst, but the GT8 needs a manual.
This car is one of just 68 UK manual examples, and one of only four in this colour. Crucially, it’s the only one without halo livery, giving it a cleaner, more understated look while still retaining all the theatre. For collectors, the rarity is serious; for drivers, it’s as close as Aston Martin has ever come to a street-legal GT racer.
2022 (71) | 4,105 Miles | £192,995
Few driver’s cars define the appeal of a manual gearbox quite like the GT3 Touring. Porsche’s 4.0-litre flat-six is at its best when you’re wringing it out, and whilst PDK makes that task more accessible, quicker, and makes you feel like a GT3 racing driver, the six-speed manual makes the whole experience more deliberate, more interactive, and ultimately more satisfying.
This 2022 example is tastefully specified and sits in that sweet spot where it feels genuinely modern yet refreshingly pure. With the fixed wing gone and the classic 911 silhouette restored, the Touring remains the connoisseur’s GT3 — understated, analogue-feeling and deeply special to drive.
2003 (03) | 31,000 Miles | POA
A car I’ve had a soft spot for since the day it was launched, the BMW Z8 has matured from Bond-car novelty to genuinely significant collectible, and the manual gearbox fitted to every one of them (bar the Alpina version) is a huge part of its appeal. Powered by the S62 V8 from the E39 M5, the Z8 blends grand-touring style with a properly muscular, old-school feel.
With around 31,000 miles, this example sits in the ideal zone for someone who wants a usable, appreciating modern classic. The Z8 is the sort of car that turns every journey into an occasion just by looking at the thing, and whilst it’s not a ten tenths sports car, the big V8 and manual ‘box mean this gorgeous roadster is a genuinely engaging drive.
2003 | 15,250 Miles | £399,995
A manual Murciélago has become unicorn-grade, with only around 80 built worldwide. Lamborghini’s open-gate gearbox attached to a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V12 is the sort of specification that simply will never return. It’s theatre, noise and intimidation all wrapped into one unapologetically old-school (and very yellow) package.
This example has covered just over 15,000 miles and represents a piece of Lamborghini history. Where later cars became even more powerful and more automated, culminating in the wild SV, the early manual Murciélago remains a true driver’s supercar — raw, mechanical, magnificent, and appreciating at an alarming rate.
2020 | 14,200 Miles | £95,995
The old Vantage suited a manual, in fact it needed a manual to be at its best, and then the model that replaced it in 2018 came exclusively with an automatic. Being fair, the auto suited the new engine and character, but Aston later revived the manual as an option on the standard car, and as the only option on the AMR.
The Vantage AMR was limited to 200 examples worldwide, all with a seven-speed dog-leg manual and ceramic brakes helping remove 95kg of weight. Just 59 of those AMRs were produced in ’59’ specification as seen here, developed by Aston Martin’s Q division, with each example receiving a unique specification and detailing that nods to the DBR1 which won Le Mans in 1959. This also seems like remarkable value for such a rare example of a now extinct breed.
2004 (54) | 13,000 Miles | £129,950
If I asked you to think of a manual Ferrari, I’d put money on this not being what springs to mind. A manual 612 Scaglietti is one of the rarest modern Ferraris, with only around 32 UK right-hand-drive cars believed to exist. In a grand touring world dominated by F1 gearboxes, the idea of rowing through six perfectly spaced ratios attached to a 5.7-litre V12 is pure indulgence.
To me, the 612 isn’t the prettiest Ferrari, but it’s understated, elegant and far more special in person than photos suggest. The big ticket fact here is that this was the last manual four-seater Ferrari. Imagine driving the kids to school in a manual V12 Ferrari! As with most Ferraris, the manual generates a huge premium over the more popular F1 alternative, but considering the rarity, this could be a good buy.
2004 (04) | 30,700 Miles | £174,995
The 996 GT3 RS is one of Porsche’s most sought-after modern classics, and its manual gearbox is integral to its reputation as one of the great driving experiences. Lighter, sharper and more uncompromising than the standard GT3, and far more back to basics than more recent models, the RS is motorsport distilled for the road, with ABS and power steering the only driver aids in sight.
With just 682 cars produced globally and 113 officially supplied to the UK, this UK C16 example with full Porsche history is about as blue-chip as it gets. Spec’d more luxuriously than some RS cars with such indulgences as a radio and climate control, it remains a thrillingly serious machine — one that feels every bit as special today as it did in 2004.
2002 | 10,300 Miles | £249,990
The final car is a wildcard you might not even have known existed. The TVR 440R is one of the most fascinating “what-might-have-been” chapters in British sports car history. A prototype for a never-launched flagship, the car was presented to the FIA and homologated as the road-going example of what would be entered into GT1 and Le Mans.
Whilst it looks like a road car and gives beefed-up Tuscan vibes, it is essentially a road-legal race car, and pairs TVR’s wild engineering with a manual gearbox and a huge naturally aspirated V8 for an experience that’s as analogue — and as intense — as they come. Believed to be one of just three produced and the only road registered, this is a genuinely important piece of TVR lore: a one-off glimpse into the brand’s unrealised future. It’s about as rare, raw and unfiltered as modern motoring gets.
