- Manual transmissions
are fun as heck, boy. But just because your
car doesn't have a stick, doesn't mean that it's not sick. So, today we're gonna talk about 13 great, dare I say, legendary
cars that surprisingly never came with a stick. Prepare thy loins and
give your left leg a rest, this is... - [Narrator] The D-List. (low upbeat music) - Thank you again to our
good friends at eBay Motors, for sponsoring another
episode of The D-List. I'm really stoked to be
working with these guys. Listen, I know you're
like us, here at Donut. And you have a car, or a truck, just sitting around that you don't use. Jeremiah. (deflated music) Zac Jobe. - Yeah, we all have a
little bit of a problem with the amount of cars we own. - It's time for us to
do something about it. eBay Motors makes it super
easy to list and sell a car directly from your freaking phone. You guys are on your phone all the time. You're probably on your phone
right now and the toilet. All you've got to do, is
download the eBay Motors app, enter your VIN, the information populates and bing bang boom, your
car is listed to sell. (cash registers ring) You need to start taking bids. Selling your car doesn't have
to be hard, or expensive. eBay Motors offers three
packages for sellers, starting at 25 bucks,
that's it, no other fees. But James, why wouldn't
I sell it on Craigslist? Facebook Marketplace is free. Because eBay has all the
tools that you'll need to make your transaction simple. So, let's ditch these sketchy,
back alley transactions and list some of these cars
that you aren't driving. I need more cars to look
through on eBay, so just do it. Click the link in the description below. Go download the eBay Motors app. Lets them know that we're doing a good job and sell your freakin car today, so you can go get a new one. ♪ Dodge Demon ♪ - We're starting this list with the Demon? Heck yeah, we are! We're crazy man. This motherfudger was the world's fastest production car back in 2017. Goes zero to 60 in a
microscopic 2.3 seconds. This is 2.3 seconds. (James screams) There, we just went to 60. The Demon's loaded with a
supercharged 6.2 liter Hemi V8, capable of an absolutely
ridiculous, 840 horsepower. This thing had more ponies
than Olympic dressage. Dressage, it's horse dancing, all right? Read a book. So, why didn't it come
with a manual transmission? Because this bat out of hell
was designed for drag racing. Literally, the creators,
were trying to make a street legal drag car. That's what they said. Nolan and I talked to them on the phone. It was big deal for Nolan, I took a picture and I sent it to his dad. And if you want consistent
acceleration times, you need an automatic transmission. Back in the day, a clutch
was the only option for serious racers, because
automatic transmissions were slower than humans shifting. But these days, we got a little thing that I like to call science, and among other cool inventions, like yogurt and Post Malone, scientists have created transmissions that can shift better than humans, no matter how fast the
human thinks they can shift. If you want to know more about the Demon, I made a couple of
videos about driving them and despite its automatic transmission, it is an insane vehicle that more than makes up for the lack of a third pedal. It's huge and it's fast. It's like a real-world Millennium Falcon. ♪ Ford Crown Victoria ♪ The Crown Vic, is no
longer just the favored car of cab drivers and cops. These days, it's a
bonafide enthusiast car, thanks beautiful lunatics
like Cleetus McFarland, who raced 21 nitrous-equipped Crown Vics, just a couple months ago on pay per view. It's an amazing idea. I wish I bought a frickin racetrack. Alas, Ford never foresaw that
this sweet, sweet, land boat would have a second life with car fans. 90% of the Crown Vics ever made, were originally sold to fleets, making it perhaps the most
popular fleet vehicle, ever. I say, perhaps, because
we didn't Google it. I just used my gut Google. Ford left it outfitted with a standard four speed automatic transmission, for its entire production history. Honestly, it's really just too bad, because the Crown Vic
would have been pretty fun with one of those Borgwarner T-5 sticks that Ford was dropping into
the Mustang at the time. Just imagine, if they came with a gearbox to max out every ounce
of horsepower and grip. Dang dude, I'm getting heated
just thinking about it! Why didn't you put a
frickin' manual in it? I guess you might say,
I have a fleet fetish. ♪ Nissan GT-R R35 ♪ Now, y'all knew that this
one was gonna make the list. All right? The Nissan R35, grandfathered
Tony's record player. Back in 2007. Everyone was waiting for the follow up to the unstoppable R-34,
but when the R-35 debuted, it was not equipped with
a manual transmission, not with an automatic transmission, but with a rear-mounted
dual clutch gearbox, part of a power train built by four specially trained mechanics,
called Takumi Craftsman. That's right, just like
the huge Turkish rug that Jesse bought on Etsy,
this car is handcrafted... with love. The dual clutch is a high
performance transmission, generally way faster than human shifting. It's also tough to swap out for a stick, since it's located in the rear of the car, a spot too small for a
normal standard transmission. So, it didn't make a lot of
sense for Nissan to retrofit a manual gearbox, if
they could even find one to handle the massive and
continually massiver power the GTR can generate. Most recently, all the
way up to 565 horsepower, straight out the gate. You pick it up at the dealership, that's how much power you got. Dual clutch is super
fun, but nothing beats rolling through gears. Plus, the R-35's bespoke
transmission technology, puts that big boy on this list. ♪ 3rd Gen Camaro with the 350 ♪ 1987 was an exciting year! Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame. A new television show called Full House put unknown thespian John Stamos on a rocket ship to the stars,
that is yet to slow down, and Chevrolet upgraded the 3rd Gen Camaro for the 350 cubic inch engine, the biggest one in the
car's 21 year history. Hey Camaro, Happy 21st birthday. Here's a beer and a big old engine. But all was not well in the Camaro. Unlike the 3rd Gen Camaro's lower trims, the 350 did not come with
a manual transmission. In the immortal words of
Tom the Tool Man Tanner... (grunts). The 350 TPI is one of the
best small box engines Chevy has ever produced. How could this happen? Especially when the smaller 305 TPI did come with a manual transmission and debuted that very same year, in 1987. But it gets worse, 3rd Gen
350s never came with a stick. They never righted this wrong! Not in 1988, the year the
World Health Organization began its mission to eradicate polio. Not in 1989, the year
that Daniel Day Lewis won his first Oscar. Not in 1990, the year East
and West Germany reunited. Not in 1991, the year Gonna Make You Sweat by C&C Music Factory came out. And not even in 1992, the year
that Selena Gomez was born. These are all true facts. So is the fact that this car
should have come with a stick. ♪ BMW 540i Touring ♪ I know what you're thinking. The BMW 540i Touring couldn't be bought with the manual transmission? It can't be true! Well, I'm very sorry to break it to you, but this car is on the list. And honestly, you probably
should have figured that out without me even explaining. If it's on the list, it
never came with a manual. That's the whole point
of this whole video. BMW did make manual 540 i's. BMW did make manual Tourings. BMW did make this weird tiny motorcycle. But BMW never put a manual
transmission in a 540i Touring, for the American market. Maybe it's because the company didn't sell many wagons to begin with. Why offer options on a
car that isn't selling? Because I want you to! Heck, over in Germany, drivers
could enjoy manual control over the biggest engine
in the BMW five series, while still have plenty of storage for their German LARPing gear. Not here. Land of the free? Yeah, right! Why didn't we get this car in a manual? ♪ Toyota Supra A90 ♪ The Mark Four Supra is
a legend among legends. a dream car, for basically every 90s kid. The Supra's absolutely classic 2JZ engine was home to 325 horsepower and can be paired with
a Toyota five speed, or the German engineered Getrag 233. As one of the earliest six
speeds available in the US, it was this transmission, in particular, was a huge reason for
the Supra's popularity and it's the same transmission available in the equally popular Skyline GTR. Super fans were understandably hyped, when the A90 debuted in 2019, 21 years after the badge last appeared on the American market. And Toyota went to town,
making sure that this car lived up to the Supra
name, partnering with BMW to put a signature STR8
6 engine under the hood. So, considering that every previous Supra had the option for a
handheld shifting apparatus, Toyota would surely give drivers
that choice again, right? Wrong! Dead wrong, pal! Toyota didn't give the
new Supra a manual option, because they wanted to
differentiate it from the Toyota 86 being built by the same engineering team. Like, as if they couldn't just look at it and tell the difference. Like, "Oh, which one is that?" "Oh, let me go check the shifter." "It's a Supra!" It's like a veterinarian
lifting up the back of your dog to see if she's a boy or a girl. And so, the A90 Supra,
has only been produced, with a ZF eight speed
automatic transmission. Now, it is apparently one heck
of an automatic transmission. But, the Supra is part of car history and historical accuracy is important. "Gladiator" would not
have been a good movie, if all the horses had
automatic transmissions. That is a perfect analogy and "Gladiator" is one of my favorite movies. This is Gladiator! ♪ Buick Grand National ♪ Okay, I got a hypothetical
question for you guys, what if a car looked like Darth Vader and drove like Anakin's pod racer? Boom! This one does! The Grand National is no doubt, one of the coolest cars ever made. It debuted in 1983 after
Buick won back-to-back cups on the NASCAR Grand National series. You get it, Great National series, got a car named Grand National. I don't get it. Just kidding, I do. By 1986, the Grand
National had been juiced up to make 235 horsepower,
thanks to its iconic 3.8 liter turbocharged V6 engine. Now, it may not sound like
much, but this was the 80s and the Grand National was
beating Corvettes off the line. Look at how aerodynamic
the Corvette looks, okay? Now, look at this square boy. Eh, eh, eh, eh. Then, in 1987, Buick sent 547 Grand Nationals to McLaren. Yes, McLaren, F1 McLaren. Just to see what would happen. What happened was, the
Grand National Xperimental, AKA the GNX, because it's
not really experimental, if you use the E and it was the fastest US production car ever, up until that point. Conservatively rated for 276 horsepower. Sadly, the huge amount of torque, relative to other cars of the time, was a big reason that the Grand National never came with a manual transmission. The average 80s gearbox
just couldn't handle all of that power. And it's a bummer, because Darth Buick would have been really,
really, really, really, really, really, really, really,
really fun with a stick. ♪ Subaru SVX ♪ Hey, speaking of Star Wars, the Subaru SVX looks like a friggin spaceships. This underappreciated beaut, was designed by Giorgetto
Giugiaro, a legendary car designer who designed the undeniably
beautiful Daewoo Lanos. In 1999, this guy was named
Designer of the Century. Not designer of the year,
not designer of the decade, not even the designer of 99 years. A whole frickin century. Last guy to win that award
was designing horses. After designing Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, the Volkswagen Scirocco
and, oh yeah, the DeLorean, he took another big swing with the SVX. Subaru told him, "Hey, Georgie,
we're bored with crossovers. Can you design us a two door coupe that straight up looks like a spaceship?" And he was like, "Hmm,
I think I can handle it. Give me my pencils and
pens and some markers. Also, some paper and I
assume some money as well?" And they were like, "Are you okay?" And he was like, "I'm not
really Giorgetto Giugiaro. He's my dad, let me go get him, dad!" And that's how it actually happened. The awesome thing about the SVX, is that today, you can easily get one, in good condition for under 10 grand and it's a great little ride. Driving it feels like you're
simultaneously in 1993 and 2193 and even though it never came
with a manual transmission, you can pretty easily swap a
five speed from a Subaru Legacy to make Giorgetto
Giugiaro's baby your own. Also, it had a weird little window. ♪ GMC Syclone/Typhoon ♪ Hey, remember that Buick Grand
National I just talked about? It was like two cars ago. If you don't remember it,
you should go to a doctor. Well, the GMC Syclone
was pitched and developed by the same exact engineers, starting with the same exact engine, but this was not the same exact
car, because it was a truck. And before we go any further, I want to be very, very
clear about something. The GMC Syclone is spelled S-Y-C-L-O-N-E. That's right, Syclone with an S. And I swear, here and
now, that that will become the official spelling for all cyclones, as soon as the National Weather Service starts to return my calls. So, let's tweet at the
National Weather Service, again I haven't googled it, I don't know if those guys are the ones who make this decision, and
tell them to officially change the name Cyclone to Syclone with an S. Sorry to get political, back to the truck. This mammajamma smoked a Ferrari
348 TS in a quarter mile, thanks to all wheel drive traction and actually held the title of Fastest Accelerating Vehicle of 1991. That's because it was
loaded with 280 horsepowers from that 4.3 liter Turbo V6. But the Syclone with an S's
unique, all wheel drive setup divided torque, 35% to the
front wheels and 65% to the rear and the only transmission
GM had that could work with that setup was, a
four speed automatic. So, neither the Syclone with
an S, nor its SUV sibling, the Typhoon which should
have been spelt with an F, were ever built with a manual. Maybe it's just as well. I mean, if you've got a pickup truck that can beat a Ferrari,
why trust the shifting to your weak, fleshy, flawed, human hands. ♪ Corvette C8 ♪ The new stingray, like Nolan,
is much more than eye candy. It's like a pixie stick to the retina. And with a 6.2 liter
naturally aspirated V8, that generates 495 horsepowers,
this thing is basically a lumberguide machine, with a
big lump of skull in its lip. We just had one for a little while. I only drove it for a little bit. I drove it to the pharmacy to get my life saving medications. And I got complimented so much. A bus driver was like, "Hey
man, that's really nice car." I really felt like
people were proud of me. I really got the sense
that they were like, "Good job, young man." Then I had to explain to
them, I didn't own the car. I guess I didn't have to. I mean, I had to, like
I said, I'm not a liar. So, this is the first mid-engine Corvette and the very first 'vette,
without a manual option. Now, those two things are related. Because the engine is
set up behind the driver, there isn't a lot of room
for the transmission. And Chevy couldn't find a company willing to make them a custom transmission that was compact enough to work. Worst of all, we might never see a Corvette with a
manual transmission again. (James grunts) Why? Well, according to lead
engineer, Tadge Juechter, nobody buys manual transmissions. He even called manual
transmissions, a dying industry. That's a 'tadge' bit
harsh, don't you think? ♪ Literally any Mercedes ♪ Look up Mercedes on your
sidekicks and your two ways and you'll find very few, if any results, for manual transmissions. The reason, Mercedes Benz as a company, just doesn't get much
demand for stick shifts, because they make luxury cars. Picture this, okay. You're rich, making a
million dollars a year, maybe 1.5 with bonuses, or whatever. You work all day, that's
your office, on the computer, buying and selling spreadsheets. I don't know what normal
people do (laughs). And at the end of the day,
you go down to the garage, 'cause you live in a
penthouse, or whatever and you get into your brand
new sonderklasse, aka S-Class, it's German, which you
bought with your bonus for selling the most spreadsheets. And all you want to do is
drive to get some Grey Poupon, maybe some caviar, or something, a steak and you just want to rest
those dogs that you call hands. Not shift your own gears,
like some sort of peasant. So, you let that primo
German-engineered 9G-Tronic 9-Speed automatic transmission, do it for you. But here's a question, all right? Is that nine gears, as in
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine? Or, is it nein gears,
because it's German, as in, "You don't get no gears
and you will like it." Either way, it aint a
stick shift, good night. ♪ Lexus LS 400 ♪ ♪ and SC 400 ♪ The LS 400 changed the game. That game, being cars. Toyota spent six years developing this car as the very first model, for a little brand that
I like to call Lexus. $400 million went into the legendary 1UZ-FE engine, a four liter
V8, capable of 250 horsepowers and a rear-wheel drive
setup, that rode so smoothly, Lexus famously advertised
how it wouldn't spill a bunch of wine glasses,
stacked on the hood. You know, for when you need to bring wine to 40 of your friends at once. It was also insanely successful
outselling competing models from Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar and spawning the SC 400 coupe, but by the mid 80s, as automatic transmission
technology improved, it was clear that stick shifts, were largely becoming to
be a thing of the past. So, Lexus only developed
their flagship sedan, with an automatic in mind. Now, as part of the brand's launch, Lexus did release the smaller ES 250. These are slept on, these are cool. The ES 250 did come with
a five speed manual, but the LS 400 has still
never come with a stick shift, for its entire history. Now this is, I know, you guys,
this is really unpredictable, but personally, I really wish
it had come with a stick, because you can get an early
LS 400, in really good shape, for less than two grand and a stick shift, plus some safety enhancements, will make this car the
perfect drift missile. Not that I need to practice car, because I'm already a perfect driver. (cones boinging) (men laugh) Hit them back there. ♪ Ford Lightning ♪ Yes, the Lightning! We bring up this truck, a
lot and for good reason. Because, I honestly think it's perhaps, one of the coolest vehicles of all time. In 1993, Ford modified an
F150 body and dropped in a 5.8 liter V8, to create a truck, nearly as fast as the GMC Syclone, but unlike the Syclone, it
could still haul 5000 pounds, or 14 Nolan's. The second gen Lightning
came around in 1999 and was even gnarlier,
cranked up to 360 horsepowers. Go from zero to 60 in 5.2 seconds and still able to tow a freakin' meteor, or two freakin' jet skis! Oh, boy! There's a fantasy for you, man. Frickin, me and Max, in my Lightning, matching jet skis. We don't even got our shirts on, man. We take them off at the house
and hop in the Lighting, drive down to the marina. Max is so excited about the jet ski, he's just riding right
there, he's crazy, man. But unfortunately, I'll be
not shifting the gears myself, because Ford didn't make a
gearbox that could handle that much power, at the time. For both versions of the Lightning, they borrowed a four speed
automatic from the F-350. This truck was so buff,
that it had to borrow it's bigger brother's transmission. Kinda like, I had to borrow my bigger brother's tux for prom. Unfortunately, oh man, can
you imagine one of these with a manual transmission? Just clutch kicking this bad boy. God, dude. I'm gonna start, I'm gonna
go look at Lightning's on eBay Motors right after this. There's one last thing. Okay, guys, before I leave, just a little wisdom from big bro. A lot of enthusiasts like
to drive stick shifts. Hell, heck, I'm one of 'em. And some people don't. Here's the thing, who cares? It's time to end transmission shaming. New automatics are way higher performance than human shifting, so get over it and drive whatever you want. Just be nice to each other. "Oh, you got an automatic, hey man?" Just like, he likes cars, he likes cars. Oh, hello, it's me, James, in
front of the white wall again. I just want to remind you guys that eBay Motors sponsored this episode. They're a really cool company. They're really nice to us. They don't give us a lot of notes and it would really help
us keep working with them if you guys would just
go download the app. And hey, if you have a car
that you want to get rid of, this is a great way to do it. And if you do post your car
for sale on eBay Motors, take a little screenshot
of it, put it on Instagram, tag me in it, @jamespumphrey Tag donut in it, @donutmedia We wanna see what you guys are selling. Maybe I'll make the mistake of buying it. Hello, dear. (upbeat music)
