1st Aug 2011, 23:46
Are you kidding? You think this guy doesn't know you can "manually" shift an automatic car? Doesn't matter if you manually shift it or not, the Mustang wins hands down, every single time if it is a 5 speed manual. The AOD equipped Mustangs (automatic transmission) were complete pigs.
The Mustang LX 5.0 5 speed was the king of the streets back in the day. Now, as for the 1989 Trans Am Turbo, now that's a different story. That is one bad ass car...
4th Mar 2011, 10:51
Manually shifting an AT really doesn't get you anywhere on that old of a car. They didn't have a sport shift set up back then. As far as the AT Mustang goes... well I prefer a manual shift on any sporty car. I have driven AT Mustang 5.0's and it is boring to me in comparison. It isn't my fault that the Formula 350 had no manual option. When they did the tests, they took the fastest example of each car in stock form. The LX 5.0 Mustang with a 5-speed manual was it.
A much nicer Firebird Formula would be the 5.0 tuned port engine with a manual tranny. I drove a couple of those, and although they weren't quite as fast as the Mustangs I had, they were very nice driving overall, and great looking cars.