Stick, these cars are so much fun. There was never any question in my mind. I've owned auto V8's... I've owned manual V8's. I decided never to go auto V8 again. Glad I did.
I don't race my car often. I bought the car partly because I wanted a fun ride. Stick vs. Auto - no question...
And don't let those auto guys tell you that you'll suffer through traffic and/or any bs like that. Complete nonsense - take it from a Socal native... you can actually make those commutes lots of fun as well, lol.
Time for it all to come back to you - get a manual V8 Camaro.
