There’s no better time for a car company to flaunt its latest toys made exclusively for the rich and famous than during Monterey Car Week. If Goodwood Festival of Speed is for bragging rights, and Amelia Island is for window shopping, then Monterey Car Week is for publicly thanking benefactors. How else do these companies make their money than by selling low-volume, million-dollar sports cars?
Almost every car was a snooty one-off brought along to remind us, plebeians, of the cars we’ll never get. However, a select few were more than just a pretty face—one was even a “cheap” Porsche—and might require some skill and coordination to operate at all. Now that’s what we like to see. Here are all the cars with a real manual gearbox unveiled during the week of events on California’s Monterey Peninsula.
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1
Engine
4.2-liter V12
Horsepower
680 hp
Torque
369 lb-ft
Transmission
6-speed manual
Next time we bump into Gordon Murray, we’ll be sure to ask if he remembers how to draw anything other than a McLaren F1. Granted, the legendary supercar is one of just a handful of street-legal cars Murray has designed, aside from Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars. None of this is to say the S1 isn’t a showstopper. It’s magnificent. And the 64 examples GMSV is building are probably sold out despite an estimated seven- or eight-figure price tag – an S1 LM sold for $20 million at auction just last year.
The Cosworth-sourced 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V12 still revs to a 12,100 RPM redline and makes a refreshing 680 horsepower. Unlike the others in the GMA garage that use the same engine, the S1’s torque curve starts at 2,500 RPM (where 80% of torque becomes available) and peaks at 7,000 RPM, when all 369 pound-feet are in full swing. The S1 carries the same hallmarks as the original F1 and T.50: three seats, a manual gearbox, and those gorgeous five-spoke wheels reminiscent of the 1992 F1 show car.
Hennessey Blackbird
Engine
6.2-liter V8
Horsepower
800-850 hp
Torque
—
Transmission
6-speed manual
It’s hard to develop a successor to the Venom F5 hypercar that pushes out 1,817 horsepower – and 2,031 hp when equipped with a set of turbos – but Hennessey did. It did so by going in the opposite direction. The new Blackbird, named after the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird stealth reconnaissance jet, can’t break the speed of sound but looks like it might.
On the other hand, if it can handle its 2.5-second sprint to 60 MPH and feel steady at its top speed of 220 MPH, then it’s already surpassed the SR-71’s far-from-refined characteristics reported by pilots traveling at 2,000 MPH at an altitude of 80,000 feet. Only 71 of these gated-manual cars are being produced, and all but 10 were spoken for before the sheet was ripped off during Car Week.
Spyker C8 Preliator XXV
Engine
4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8
Horsepower
789 hp
Torque
738 lb-ft
Transmission
6-speed manual
Spyker, a boutique supercar builder from the Netherlands, debuted the C8 Preliator XXVin Monterey. The company has been around since 1880, which makes it older than some of the most prominent players in the auto industry. In 2026, the company is looking to re-enter automotive pop culture as it did in the early 2000s.
An earlier Spyker model from 2017 was called the Preliator, but this new car differs greatly from the original. The engine is a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 from Audi. It also has a Graziano six-speed manual, limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, and carbon disks, suggesting this gaudy sports car is impressive beneath its gorgeously detailed skin.
Gunther Werks GXR-Evo
Engine
4.0-liter flat-6
Horsepower
455 hp
Torque
312 lb-ft
Transmission
6-speed manual
The specialty Porsche tuner and rebuilder Gunther Werks aims for its latest machine to be lightweight above nearly all else. The GXR-Evo is a 2,386-pound, carbon fiber rocket ship with a naturally aspirated flat-six co-developed with the famous Porsche motorsport squad at Rothsport Racing.
To put this in perspective, the 455 horsepower and 312 pound-feet of torque pumped out is less than what you get in a new Ford Mustang GT. But in a car weighing 10% less than a new hardtop two-door Mini Cooper, you start to get the picture that its 381 horsepower/ton rating is serious business.
The Getrag G50 six-speed gearbox shifts power from the rearward air-cooled engine to the back wheels, and if that sounds too tough to control, Gunther Werks is throwing in a racing sim with each of the 15 cars it’s producing. Drivers can get a hang of their new ride before getting behind the wheel.
Ruf Ehra
Engine
3.6-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6
Horsepower
650 hp
Torque
663 lb-ft
Transmission
6-speed manual
Ruf is not simply a Porsche tuner; it builds distinct vehicles, despite their similar appearances. Ruf revealed its latest vehicle based on the existing SCR model during Monterey Car Week. It also filled the tanks of each car it brought with HIF-distilled synthetic fuel, rather than traditional gasoline.
Regardless of what the engine burns, the driver has a six-speed manual transmission to shift through the gears. Plus, the Ehra sports several modern engineering amenities, including variable valve timing, throttle-by-wire for snappier response, and an adjustable AWD system like a Toyota GR Corolla. Careful, though.
Porsche 911 Carrera S with MT Package
Engine
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6
Horsepower
473 hp
Torque
390 lb-ft
Transmission
6-speed manual
Porsche is giving buyers unfettered access to the 911 options book when they spec their Carrera S with Manual Transmission Package. It’s a new variant of the Carrera S that puts manual control over six ratios used in the Carrera T within arm’s reach. The 473 hp in the Carrera S is upped considerably from the base Carrera’s 388 hp, too.
The package also includes rear-wheel steering, the PASM Sport suspension with a 10mm drop in ride height, the Sport Chrono Package, and model-specific exhaust tuning, with Titanium exhaust tips. It comes standard with 20-inch center-locking wheels. Inside, there are four-way adjustable Sport Seats Plus. An available interior package decks out the cabin in a mix of Plaid Sport-Tex fabric with chalk-colored stripes and brushed aluminum trim. This is the only car on this list with the greatest odds of landing a spot in our garages, which we like to think counts for something.
Singer Classic – Louis Vuitton
Singer Classic / Classic Turbo
Engine
4.0-liter flat-6 / 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6
Horsepower
420 hp / —
Torque
—
Transmission
6-speed manual
Singer Vehicle Design partnered with the legendary fashion brand Louis Vuitton to create a pair of reimagined Porsche 911s for Monterey Car Week. The companies marketed their style rather than their power, but both machines packed a six-speed manual gearbox.
These leather-clad Rodeo Drive cruisers show a lavish attention to detail. They have details such as rhodium-plated air vents and monogrammed flower details on the trim. Plus, there was custom luggage to go with them, and Louis Vuitton even created small fashion collections to match each car. There were even a pair of driving shoes to heel-and-toe the gas and brake when pressing the clutch. Who says manual labor can’t be done in style?
McLaren McL 6GT
Engine
4.0L Twin-Turbo V8
Horsepower
—
Torque
—
Transmission
6-speed manual
We don’t know much about McLaren’s latest sports car paying homage to its founder, Bruce McLaren, but we do know the most important thing about it. There’s a real manual shifter poking out from between the bucket seats.
Bruce McLaren’s first attempt at producing lightweight, simple cars was never fully realized before he died in 1970. The MCL 6GT is a modern interpretation of the original M6GT—one that a small, dedicated team just completed using the original blueprints.
Our suspicions have us wondering whether the MCL 6GT will get the 788HS’s 777-horsepower twin-turbo V8, or if a simpler powertrain is in the works to suit its analog gearbox better. Either way, this is the McLaren we want to see more of, and, as it turns out, it’s what we’ll be seeing more of, as future models will take cues from this new car.
Sources: Porsche, Gunther Werks, Singer, McLaren, Hennessey, Ruf, Spyker, GMA
