My car is an 08 roadster with sports shift. There is a sports shift aftermarket tuning that really improves the shift time and exchange. With this mod the car is amazing. From what I hear, AM has made a change similar to it in the '10 and '11 cars. It won't be long when the stick shift is a thing of the past. Most exotic companies have shifted their focus to some kind of paddle without a clutch system. You simply can't do what a computer can do. It is a ton of fun on the open road. It is not as easy as a stick in parking lots going in reverse but when your in traffic or need to reach for a cell phone you really appreciate the "D" button. I WAS 39 when I bought mine, so age wasn't a factor.
Yes, I see, but problem is, that most cars in the class are coming out with DCT systems.
Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, and Merc are all double clutch paddle shifters, while I have never yet read of Aston planning one...
Even the 1-77 had a single clutch paddle shift, despite being a showroom of Aston's current and close future technology.
From my experiences, the best Astons are the manual Astons, and they still have marginally superior performance than their two pedaled siblings. I mean the Touchtronic was and is one of the better choices of paddle gearboxes, but still, manual does give the performance edge. The manual is the one tested on tracks, the manual is the sole option for the V12 vantage, and was the original option on the DBS.
I simply can not understand when a magazine article does a comparison and selects the two- pedaled car instead of the three pedaled, for they know the former one is the ore enjoyable for spirited driving.
However, since Astons grew upon me in the late 90s, I do have a radical opinion on this issue. The automatic/T-tronic models of the DB7 which I admired so much were sluggish compared to the manuals, that I could not forgive or forget the issue.
Once they get a DCT sorted I will have no problem with it. But for me, a 6 speed manual box is one of the key reasons why I would chose an Aston over many other exotics. For me, it is Aston's speciality, like the NA engines, and the lightweight GT character.
