I read threads like this sometime and amusingly shake my head.
We offer both transmissions -but it isn't as simple as "auto is better for the strip and manual for the road course" -- trust me on this.
Our engineers spent a lot of time developing shift algorithms -- and until you actually drive a ZL1 with an automatic transmission, you have no real appreciation for the job they've done.
You see - as you 'tap down' -- the controller 'blips' the throttle - just as you would with heel/toe shifts - except that a lot of people have problems with heel/toe shifts. The fastest way around the road course is to keep the car balanced......and this is what helps to keep the ZL1 balanced.
A trip around the track with guys like Aaron Link or Tony Roma or Mark Stielow or Mark Dickens or Al Oppenheiser will demonstrate just how great the Automatic Transmissioned ZL1 truly is.
Now - are there drivers out there that can perhaps drive the manual transmissioned ZL1 faster than the automatic? Yes -- but I think the numbers are limited.
Now - as I shake my head at all of this - what was the purpose of the thread? If it was to ask a question as to "why?" - well - now you have the answer!
