Is not putting an auto trans in a performance car kinda like: replacing the plush leather seats in a luxury car with racing seats?

is not it kinda the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish?
What is so hard about shifting?

In a luxury car, l get it, no thinking involved, just hit the pedal, the car does the rest...

but in a sports car? seriously?

l wish my Eldo had a manual trans...

It is so women will drive it.

l dont know about you but when l see most corvettes they are driven by old men, and at that age they just want to feel kewl but no have to do the kewl work of shifting lmao sorry thats just what l see

The first answer is actually right, It is to attract more buyers (Women).

People that buy a Corvette with an Auto have no passion for driving.

Like putting an automatic in a Geo Metro.mileage instantly goes down from 53mpg with a 5-speed stick, to the upper 30 is with a 3-speed automatic. Whats the point, then, of getting a high-mileage car?

Actually, most new Corvettes have automatic transmissions.
l like a manual transmission, but that is mostly because the 4 cylinder motor l have can not spare the 15 to 20 horsepower sucked up by the auto trans.
All the new Corvettes have well over 300 horsepower, so you wo not notice a few ponies sacrificed to the slush box.
In addition, if you do a lot of stop and go driving, working the clutch gets a little tiring.

I've got a 81 vette automatic & l can not complain about it. To tell u the truth l thank my lucky stars that it does not have a standard cuz l do not think l could fight the earge of slamming some gears. Some people like just to cruise. I've always wonder why they did not put an automatic in the EVO is or subaro sti. bout as close as u can get to an automatic in the EVO is the paddle shifters. l was looking to buy one of those but l found out they r both standard & l live in the city & l could not bare the thought of driving a stick in the city.

depends, i'd rather do up a performance automatic tranny in a 70 is vette than the huge dollars for a performance 4 speed

it a auto shift ! Without automatic, you shift gear your self . Maily stick shift are good for pulling heavy load trailer ?

l agree with u & with the people that said to attract older drivers & women. A Corvette with a automatic trans. does sort of defeat the purpose of a sports car. That being said l personally owned two C5 Corvette is with automatics. The reason that l had to go with an auto is that l am over 6'6'' & l simply did not have enough leg room on the clutch side to drive a manual comfortably without constantly hitting my left knee on either the steering wheel or the door panel. For me it was more necessity than choice, however the C6 cars have more leg room, so l can drive the manual cars comfortably & my next one will undoubtedly be a manual. That is one of the downfalls of being tall. The only manual trans. sports car other than the C6 Corvette that I've ever been able to drive is the Porsche 911.

PLAIN AND SIMPLE NOT EVERYONE LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE STICK (even this rich guy l forgot who he was on the tonight show with jay leno had gotten a Corvette from l think his wife and admitted he could't drive stick so his wife got him an automatic)

They also offer a manual transmission as an option but in my opinion they have the automatic transmission is for a wider range of buyers, because not many people know how to drive a stick. Its a smart thought on the chevrolet sales side of things, but it makes the corvette and gm motors look less professional or sporty.

it is hard to manual shift because people have to know when to press the clucth and shift right after it

Look at some of the wannabees that buy these cars. l am not talking about serious Corvette owner's. They are a different breed altogether.

l am talking about the people that buy the car as a status symbol and could not shift a manual if their lives depended on it. What does it matter if they have an automatic; they will never drive the car the way it was intended anyway.

Ok to all the people that say they cant drive. Its not that hard. l had to learn it quick cause my friend was sick, and l had no problem catching onto it. vettas should be manual! l wouldnt be caught dead in an auto sports car. not only that but maunal has more power and better mpg!

You can still shift an automatic manually. If l had an automatic Corvette & wanted to fly through some curvy, hilly road u can bet l would be working the shifter up & down for sure.

Also, l would not want to drag race a stick shift. l bracket race a '69 Camaro. Bracket racing is based on consistancy so an automatic is a must to be competetive.

When u own a stick u can expect to replace the clutch too. With an automatic u never have that expense.

l had an '89 Trans/Am with a 5 speed & that thing was a blast!