--- title: "‘It’s Not Real’: Corvette Engineers Squash Manual C8 Rumor" date: "2026-03-23" modified: "2026-03-23" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/its-not-real-corvette-engineers-squash-manual-c8-rumor" categories: - "Chevrolet News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Chevrolet" - "Corvette" - "Coupe" - "sports car" --- # ‘It’s Not Real’: Corvette Engineers Squash Manual C8 Rumor ![View of the dashboard in the 2024 Corvette Stingray.]() *\General Motors\* If you were holding out hope for a row-your-own [C8 Corvette](), we hate to be the bearer of bad news. Over the weekend, the Corvette's Chief Engineer, Tony Roma, doused cold water on speculation that the mid-engined 'Vette will see Tremec's new six-speed manual transaxle. "Tremec showed something at SEMA last year that I wish they wouldn't have shown, that is not real," [Roma said in Florida]() during the 12 Hours of Sebring. "So, when people say, 'But there's one that's available,' there isn't. It's not real. We don't have any plans to talk about a manual transmission. "I love manual transmissions," Roma added. "All I can say is our eight-speed DCT is tremendous, it's awesome. The car is faster and essentially better with the transmission we make. Don't believe *GM Authority*." > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Christian (@wheelr\_)]() *GM Authority* refuted Roma's insinuation that it fueled the rumors of a manual C8 this morning [in its own coverage](). Engineer Josh Holder followed Roma's comments, explaining that the market for three-pedal Corvettes dried near the end of the C7 era. "We are in a for-profit business. We make Corvettes, so all you guys can enjoy the affordability and attainability of America's supercar," Holder said. "But one of the things that makes that true is making good business decisions. And at the end of the seventh-generation lifecycle, the penetration rate of manuals was super low. The market was voting with their wallets, and we didn't get enough votes." ![2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06]() **General Motors** *The Drive* [shared Tremec's SEMA announcement]() at the time, back in November. It was exciting news, but it never seemed like a shoo-in for a C8 factory option, and Tremec never claimed it was going to be. As my friend Andrew Collins wrote, "Don’t count on Chevy or Ford adding a manual transmission to the factory options list on either of the cars we just mentioned. Tremec is pitching this new six-speed directly to custom-car builders and racing teams." Of course, that's still a different statement than Roma's assertion that the part "is not real," so we're frankly not sure what's going on there; we have reached out to Tremec for comment and will update this story with whatever we learn. *Got a tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()