Who would prefer a GT500 with an Automatic?

[ObieFox]

I just sold my most recent Shelby and ordered a Hellcat Challenger with the A8 automatic. This got me wondering if I was alone in my desire for an Automatic in the GT500?

Don't get me wrong, I love manual transmissions and currently have 2 others in addition to my outgoing Shelby. I daily drive a Jeep Rubicon with a 6 speed manual and generally prefer a manual.

My problem is that at the elevated HP levels currently offered in these "street cars", i think the manual transmission offerings are vastly inferior to the current crop of electronically controlled automatics. A 700 HP street car is a handful in any configuration, but the care and feeding of a clutch and manual transmission in this environment just makes things more problematic than they need to be.

If we are lucky enough to see a next generation GT500 (and I'm not so sure we will), I'm hoping to see Ford offer it with the new 10sp Automatic that we are expecting to see in the new GT and Raptor.

Am I alone in thinking this way?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[paluka21]

If I were drag racing my car often, yes I would prefer an automatic. If I were having a ton of issues with clutches and they couldn't hold my power level, then I would also prefer an automatic. With how I drive my car, I prefer the manual, although I would like to drive a Shelby with an auto.

 

[sono]

The problem is their are many flavors of automatic. I'd take the right auto, maybe an 8spd with paddles, otherwise no way. The button stuff they were putting on the 13-14 gt's was trash, even though I know it's a big step forward with regards to holding hp.

 

[Blk04L]

The problem is their are many flavors of automatic. I'd take the right auto, maybe an 8spd with paddles, otherwise no way. The button stuff they were putting on the 13-14 gt's was trash, even though I know it's a big step forward with regards to holding hp.

+1


Wouldn't mind one where I had the option of paddle shifting.

 

[ThomasL]

I'd take one. Clutch issues suck and are expensive.

 

[GOTSVT?]

bingo

I'd take one. Clutch issues suck and are expensive.

 

[Snoopy49]

I think it would be a great idea. None of us are getting any younger and it would be nice to have an auto option available. There are quite a few people with disabilities that would love to own a GT500 but can't use a clutch.
Who builds Fords current automatic transmission? Do they offer a model that could be used on a 700HP car?
With the torque curve on these cars, anything more than a 6 speed would be a waste. 8 & 10 speed autos are for cars with narrow torque bands.

 

[jbs$]

Having gone from a 13 Shelby GT500 6 speed, to a Hellcat 8 speed automatic, although I loved the Shelby, it would be hard to go back. The 8 speed and paddle snifters simply make life with a high performance car more enjoyable.

 

[Ablaze]

I've absolutely zero interest in an automatic. They bore me to tears. I jump in the Shelby to have fun. I've used paddle shifters before, albeit it was in a Camaro, and it felt awkward and out of place even though I took a few days to try and get used to it.

I spoke to an automotive performance engineer (not from Ford) that said the cost of the overall vehicle does increase when an automatic is optional even if you don't ultimately purchase it when you order due to the increase in R&D. If it's true, that's unfortunate, and although I enjoy the exclusivity of the Shelbys due in part to their drivetrain I would be the last person to wish any ill will toward an automatic for anyone else.

 

[Matt in Houston]

I prefer manuals but I initially loved my paddle shifted ZF 6 speed in the XKRS when I first got the car. About a year later I was over it. Went back to a manual and doubt I will ever go back until I can no longer drive one due to injury or old age. For a street car it just gets boring to me, I greatly prefer banging through my own gears. Adds to the experience for me. If it were a full on race car I can see the benefits of having an auto.

 

[07 Black Beauty]

I DD my 13 and feel the manual definitely adds to the driving experience and makes you feel connected to the car. The only time I wish I had an auto is on the rare occasion I get stuck in traffic other than that I think I would get bored very quickly.

 

[TexasMile1]

I would prefer the automatic. With today's tech the auto cars are much faster. With that said I don't daily drive my gt500 it is purely for raising hell on the street and terrorizing other cars at the track. So the fastest possible configuration is my desire. I am working with someone at this time to retro fit a 5.0 automatic into the Shelby.

 

[TexasMile1]

I'd take one. Clutch issues suck and are expensive.

Are those numbers in your sig on the stock short block?
Scott

 

[2011 gtcs]

I have driven auto cars with full manual valve bodies and I will say they are fun but I still prefer a 6 speed.

 

[ObieFox]

The problem is their are many flavors of automatic. I'd take the right auto, maybe an 8spd with paddles, otherwise no way. The button stuff they were putting on the 13-14 gt's was trash, even though I know it's a big step forward with regards to holding hp.

The ZF derived A8 in the Hellcat is a pretty amazing unit. It will handle 1000 lb ft of torque and will shift in 160 ms in track mod. The 8HP90 unit from the Hellcats is also found in the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Wraith, along with the Bentley Mulsanne. That is some pretty high brow company. I would imagine Ford could source the same unit for a GT500 build if they wanted to.

 

[jtfx6552]

I'd prefer the manual with a "real" clutch and no clutch protection. IMHO, that along with the remote shifter is the weak point in the 13-14s.

With a capable clutch no CP and a shifter on the tail shaft, 3:55 gears, and the driver mod, these cars would put auto hellcats on the trailer.

 

[Norton]

I've absolutely zero interest in an automatic. They bore me to tears. I jump in the Shelby to have fun.

I prefer manuals... doubt I will ever go [auto] until I can no longer drive one due to injury or old age. For a street car it just gets boring to me, I greatly prefer banging through my own gears. Adds to the experience for me.

...the manual definitely adds to the driving experience and makes you feel connected to the car.

...I still prefer a 6 speed.

+1 to all of this.

 

[Lethalchem]

Not interested in an automatic in my GT500. I couldn't give 2 shits about shaving a couple tenths off of a 1/4 mile run by using an auto. I thoroughly enjoy shifting gears in cars like this. I prefer the sound and the feel. I also like the concept of not offering an auto option: If you can't drive a stick, you don't have any business in this car. I laugh at the kids these days who not only don't know how to drive a stick, but many don't even have the desire to get a driver's license right away anymore! Let's at least leave SOME things alone enough to require a minuscule amount of effort. Havn't we dumbed enough stuff down with our education system? lol

I know most of you aren't interested in an auto because you can't drive a stick. I'm just saying there are PLENTY of other performance cars to choose from out there (actually, I'm not even really sure if there IS anyone else that doesn't offer an auto version anymore besides SVT), so just buy one of those instead. I hope SVT keeps up it's tradition of not offering auto's in their cars.

 

[HooperWest]

No thanks.

 

[JAJ]

The next-gen GT500, the one with the next-gen turbo V6 from the next-gen Ford GT, will get the GT's paddle shift dual clutch transmission too. The brakes will be the carbon-ceramic brakes that were talked about in the early press release for the GT350 but which are conspicuously absent from the production version.