By Shawn Henry 
The eighth-gen Chevy Corvette didn’t just turn heads—it flipped the script entirely, ditching the old front-engine setup for a mid-engine layout and swapping gears with a snappy dual-clutch transmission. But here’s the kicker: for the first time ever, no manual option. Purists lost their minds. Now, though, Tremec might just throw them a lifeline.
Same folks who built the C8’s factory dual-clutch just dropped a bombshell: a beefy six-speed manual transaxle that bolts right into the same spots as the stock unit. Same footprint, same guts, but now with three pedals. Think of it as a straight-up cheat code for turning your high-tech ‘Vette into a throwback hero.
This ain’t some rickety garage hack, either. Tremec built this thing to take a beating—800 lb-ft of torque, a grand in horsepower, enough muscle to handle everything shy of the monster ZR1. Oh, and it’s got a proper limited-slip diff, because real drivers don’t settle for half-measures.
For the die-hards still clutching their shift knobs like relics of a bygone era, this is huge. No more wistful staring at old Stingrays. The aftermarket now has a legit, plug-and-play solution to bring back the row-your-own thrill Chevy left behind.
Will the factory bite and offer a manual again? Tough call. Red tape, money, corporate cold feet—who knows. But thanks to Tremec, the dream ain’t dead. Shops and builders now have the keys to give Corvette fans what they’ve been screaming for: the return of the good ol’ stick shift in America’s favorite sports car.
Image Via Tremec
John