Someone Finally Gave the Corvette the Manual Transmission That Chevy Couldn’t (or Wouldn’t)

When you consider its incredible feats on race tracks throughout the United States and its authoritative lap record on the Nürburgring, there’s no denying that the C8 ranks as the most capable Corvette that Chevrolet has ever built.

Still, the car has proven to be highly divisive among some purists of the Corvette community. In addition to being the first mid-engine example in the history of the model, it’s also the first generation to do away with a manual transmission option.

Chevrolet

Which, though an unfortunate and ongoing reality in many consumer vehicles, amounts to a seismic change in a sports car. Even before Chevrolet fitted the Corvette with a V8 under the hood, the model came with a stick shift. Since that time, some models have exclusively featured one.

As such, the fact that Tremec has a new row-your-own option in store for the C8 is bound to be a boon for anyone with a C8 and an eye for Corvette heritage. What’s more, it holds plenty of opportunities for other builds.

Tremec

Critical Corvette upgrade

From the factory, Chevrolet assembles the C8 Corvette with a Tremec TR-9080 eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle, so this solution is as OEM as they come.

In fact, Tremec designed its new six-speed option to maintain the same packaging and mounting points as the stock unit to allow for a similar case profile and easy plug and play installation. If you’ve been looking for a convenient way to swap a manual gearbox into your C8, your prayers have just been answered.

Tremec

Now, Tremec hasn’t disclosed price, and there’s no telling yet how it would integrate with the ECU. In other words, even if the hardware is compatible, there still comes the matter of convincing the car to accept its driver’s input. 

Nevertheless, the fact that the tooling exists for a manual transaxle is an exciting development in the world of C8s. While Chevrolet has put plenty of automatics into Corvettes throughout the model’s history, up-spec versions like the Z06 and the ZR1 have always been defined by their stick shifts.

Chevrolet

Of course, the C8’s move to a DCT wasn’t without cause. Along with bringing faster shifts, it also proved to be a functionally superior option because of the complications that come with a mid-engine layout. And Chevrolet isn’t alone in the decision — everyone from Ferrari and Lamborghini to Aston Martin and McLaren is using such setups on their high-performance vehicles. 

Yet, if you crave the control that comes with shifting through the gears and operating a third pedal, the sensation of driving a manual is worth any compromises to performance (of which the Corvette is hardly lacking).

Chevrolet

Opportunities abound

According to Tremec, the six-speed manually shifted transaxle features a mechanical limited-slip differential. What’s more, it’s rated for an estimated 1,000 horsepower, 800 lb-ft of torque and input engine speed of up to 8,600 rpm.

In practice, this means that there’s potential for some serious performance applications — even beyond Chevrolet’s C8 Corvette.

For one, the Ford’s track-focused Mustang GTD utilizes the same Tremec TR-9080 transmission as its rival from Bowling Green, so it too has the potential to accept the six-speed swap.

Ford

Arguably more exciting, however, is the aftermarket impact. Tremec markets it for the “custom vehicle market,” specifically calling out the fact that it has “made it easier than ever for builders to create high-performance driver-focused vehicles.”

Along with practically endless (and drool-worthy) SEMA-worthy applications, this transaxle could mean big things for makers of kit cars.

Chevrolet

More to come

Tremec has yet to release pricing or availability details for its six-speed transaxle swap, but you can head to the company’s website to learn more in the meantime.

While it’s not likely that Ford or GM will offer their supercars with a stick shift from the factory, there are still big implications for a manual transaxle of this caliber.

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