If you own an automatic transmission, you might as well be living in a different universe when it comes to understanding “Fahrvergnügen”—the pure, unadulterated joy of driving! It’s a phrase that dances on the tongue like the thrill of the open road, but if you've never experienced it, it might sound like a secret language spoken only by the coolest of car enthusiasts.
Only two types of people can drive cars: cowards and fools.—Unknown
I’ve never felt that exhilarating rush behind the wheel of an automatic. In North America, you can't rent a manual; it’s like searching for a tiger at a petting zoo. Meanwhile, in Europe, it’s the opposite. You’ll find manual transmissions everywhere, each car a little treasure waiting to be unlocked by someone who truly understands the art of driving.
What we drive says a lot about who we are.—Unknown
They don’t just drive; they savor every shift, every turn, every moment spent behind the wheel. The Germans even coined the term “Fahrvergnügen” to encapsulate that sheer ecstasy of engaging with the road, feeling every gear change and throttle response like a heartbeat. It’s not just driving; it’s a passionate love affair with the machine, where the road becomes an extension of your spirit, and each gear shift is a love letter to the journey ahead.
Fahrvergnügen—"The pleasure of simply driving around"
So, if you’re cruising in an automatic, you might miss out on a whole world of connection and exhilaration. Imagine the joy of feeling the car respond to your every command, the rush of adrenaline as you rev up through the gears, and the deep satisfaction of mastering a manual transmission—it’s not just driving; it’s an experience that ignites your soul and makes every trip an adventure.
Brave, unexpected, authentic. —These are our core values. It all started in 1963, when Ferruccio Lamborghini had the bravery to challenge everything and everyone by founding Lamborghini. We still channel that bravery to accelerate our evolution, while still respecting the authenticity of our Brand.—Lamborghini brochure
In my world, I’m playing chess while other drivers are stuck playing checkers. I’m the Bobby Fischer of the road, encouraging everyone to learn how to drive a manual, make the queen's gambit your icy first move. Take lessons, buy a stick shift, and redefine your driving experience. At least get pointers from someone who drives one so you don't have to sound foolish when it comes up at parties. I have my reasons, I’ll cite these examples:
In 1987, a wealthy British guy bought his wife a Lamborghini Countach. But when she turned her nose up at learning to drive “stick,” he decided to throw a ridiculous amount of cash at the problem and had a one-off automatic transmission made. I mean, really? “I’ll buy you anything except basic driving skills!” I scoffed at the automatic transmission.
Lamborghini's slogan– “Expect the Unexpected”
Fast forward to 2020: Lamborghini announces they’re ditching manual transmissions altogether. Why? Because the horsepower is so high, the climb to 9000rpm is too quick, that humans can’t shift gears fast enough. Pathetic! It’s like saying, “Congratulations! Here’s a supercar, enjoy the ride to boredom!” I choked up at the thought of a world where driving pleasure is as mythical as a unicorn wearing a seatbelt. Sorry Lamborghini HQ but that isn't innovative, it's a handicap of immense proportions.
It's not impossible until we fail. If we fail, we fail searching for greatness.—Ferruccio Lamborghini
Lamborghini should’ve kept it real and never offered ANY automatics. Now we’ll have high-speed supercars about as thrilling as a nap at grandma’s house. How silly will Lamborghini owners look, shelling out a million bucks for a car they can’t even enjoy? Seriously, can anybody with a rusty old manual Toyota not laugh at the suckers who buy Lamborghinis from now on? I want to ask them what a Lamborghini does for you that you want so badly. If it's merely the brand, the lines, the engine, even the damn key chain —I understand those elements, but where do you stand on the argument that they're just vibrators for rich people and the driving experience is a moot point now, for even the manufacturer.
You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody; you buy a Lamborghini when you already are somebody.—Frank Sinatra
"I", sucker I am, even drove to the Lamborghini factory and museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy (that name echoes through the hearts of men my age who have only seen it romantically written about in numerous car magazine articles). I sat in my former dream car. I was ecstatic!
The geometric line is the fastest racing line through a corner if it's in complete isolation with nothing before or after it. Luckily, race circuits are a bit more interesting than that and will have a corner or straight following the previous corner.—Driver61
Let’s be honest, the Countach had its quirks. It was a tight squeeze—like trying to fit into last year’s jeans after the holidays. No power steering, and its top speed was 186 mph. Not exactly the pinnacle of automotive greatness, but for 15-year-old boys like me, which I was until I hit vehicular puberty with Lamborghini's news, it was a dream car, right up there with dating a supermodel. And I had both provocative types of posters on my walls as a kid.
Lamborghini's goal is to create value by acting responsibly towards the world in which it operates, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of society and the economy.—Lamborghini, instantly becoming a "woke" dinosaur.
Who cares about top speeds in North America? We have speed limits and traffic jams that make rush hour feel like a slow dance at a middle school prom. Speed isn't the driving thrill. The thrill is in being in as much control of your car as possible. The responsibility for the entire control of the automobile. It is in drifting, rally driving, and cornering through chicanes. It is NOT the automatic transmission taking you up to 100km/h in any split seconds... it simply isn't—dear office staff at Lamborghini.
If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough. —Mario Andretti (to be fair, Ferrari and Lamborghini, the men, actually hated each other but Ferrari has an F-1 legacy and Lamborghini has never had a racing history.)
My girlfriend drives a “stick”—a six-speed contract with the road. That’s partly why I’m still with her. She gets it! And she gets me! She knew—without me saying a word—that the only way to enjoy driving (even in the morning commute) was with a manual. Anyone with the element of common sense knows this to be true (except in a first-gear "rush hour", a 5-speed is a pleasure).
The smooth, coordinated movement of shifting gears on a manual transmission is a satisfying sensation that can't be replicated with an automatic.–Unknown
Knowing how to drive a manual isn’t just a skill; it’s a way of life. It’s like having a secret handshake with the universe. If your life is stuck in first gear, you're likely anxious and can't deviate from what is happening at this very moment. If you’re life is red-lining in fifth gear, you’re happily ripping across the mental Autobahn, where driving feels like a wild party at your house!
Mastering the art of the clutch is like unlocking a secret skill, it's not just about driving, it's about engagement and understanding your vehicle.–Unknown
I will impact Lamborghini in the only way I know how. I'll throw a mental rock through their boardroom window. I'll make a promise and write passionately about it, hoping to pass on the sentiments to those men who still think a Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato is anything short of an automotive miracle, akin to owning Mother Mary's driver's license. I can violently go against my youth and say, shaking a clenched fist–"Should I ever win the lottery, I will NOT buy a 1987 Lamborghini Countach, based on the company's current automatic transmission decision of something that should be water-cooler rhetoric. Lamborghini–you no longer provide the stuff of dreams, you have not just failed me, and a new generation of enthusiasts, but Ferruccio Lamborghini as well. You have betrayed his soul. And you have completely lost me as a fan, a driver, and lottery winner."
The freedom of the road should be seductive, serendipitous, and absolutely liberating.–Aaron Lauritsen.
Instead, my new dream car is a Subaru WRX STi, a car designed for rally driving and created by, and for, drivers. It is within my reach, a used one seeking about $10,000. I do not need a SuperCar, an elitist convention that no longer serves any reasonable purpose. I need a driving experience blueprinted by people who worship driving. I've driven in 19 countries and every American state. And I'm Canadian. And I worship driving. I have graduated from three professional driving courses at the Justice Institute. I have never been at-fault in an accident in my 40 years of driving. But I've been in fatal car accidents and Autobahn accidents. Dystopian accidents and 4x4 accidents. Semi-trailer accidents and accidents in Iraq. I've seen the best and worst of driving the world round. I study it, I craved the excellence in the Lamborghini Countach because I thought driving one was like playing a brilliant game of chess, that's the Autobahn experience. It just seems the North American driving public is playing checkers. And Lamborghini is playing Backgammon.
Every once in a while I'll be in a Honda forum and they've got some funny sayings like "I'm so into Japanese cars that I sleep on the right side of the bed".–Unknown Subaru owner
So please, for the love of all things automotive, learn to drive a manual! It’ll give you wisdom that no automatic driver will ever understand. Maybe you'll even learn how to drift. And you’ll smile going to sleep because you get to wake up and drive your car as it’s meant to be driven. Even if it’s to Walmart…
“If you don’t swear while driving then you are not paying attention to the road at all.”–Unknown
Yeah, Google drifting. Search for 'best rally driving'. And look up "Goosiest" on YouTube to see how people like me are solving this almost existential driving crisis of automatics and self-driving cars and, quite literally, are taking matters into our own hands. We drive online. It's not something you want to try with $319,000 worth of metal (alas, some stupid people try–enjoy those videos too).
Sometimes while driving, bad luck hits you like in an ancient Greek tragedy, and it's not your own making. But sometimes it is. Own up to it, if only to yourself. Become better, if only for yourself.–Unknown
If the thrill of driving a regular car like a regular person wasn't enough, the 5-speed is undoubtedly paramount to the experience. I had to Google, "Should I buy an automatic-transmission Lamborghini?" to which I got the default Lamborghini answer:
If you are considering buying a Lamborghini, it's generally recommended to choose an automatic transmission as all current Lamborghini models come standard with highly advanced automatic transmissions, offering faster acceleration, smoother driving, and better overall performance compared to a manual option, which is no longer available in their lineup; unless you prioritize the pure driving experience of a manual transmission above all else, an automatic Lamborghini will likely be the best choice for most drivers.
I can't wrap my head around "faster acceleration" being a requirement, when any old Lamborghini had an impressive acceleration over any car belonging to the masses. The only place for a new Lamborghini is a drag strip. It would break into expensive little pieces if it went on a rally-driving experiment.
I commend the car company for creating a V-12 that kicks up so much horsepower that it dominates all the stable animals. Sure it is impressive that we humans cannot work through the gears (even paddles) fast enough, but leave that convention off to the side for rich pussies, and maintain the dignity of the manual transmission.
Then, thinking maybe shifting gears was only a thrill to myself (and the world at large was generally ambiguous), I searched for reasons to buy a 5-speed and I am not at all alone in recognizing the thrill is ubiquitous among enthusiasts:
Ah, the thrill of driving a 5-speed! It’s like dancing with your car—one minute you’re gliding smoothly in first gear, and the next you’re popping into second like you just dropped the hottest mixtape of the year.
Every gear change is a mini-relationship milestone: first is the awkward "getting to know you" phase, second is where the magic starts, and by the time you hit fifth, you’re basically in a committed relationship, cruising down the highway like a couple that just found the perfect Netflix series.
And let’s not forget the joy of the clutch! It’s like your car’s way of saying, “Hey, do you want to feel like a race car driver or a confused kangaroo?” You get to decide when to shift, and when you nail it, you feel like you've just won a gold medal in the Olympics—complete with confetti and your mom crying tears of joy.
Plus, there’s always that moment when you nail the perfect downshift and feel like a total hero, while your passengers are clutching their invisible seatbelts, wondering if they should be impressed or terrified.
So, strap in, shift gears, and embrace the chaos—because driving a 5-speed is not just a journey; it’s an exhilarating rollercoaster of gear-grinding glory!
So, I say, hand on my heart, goodbye Lamborghini. You are now a hyperbolic bumper sticker on my Craigslisted dream car. But I sincerely thank you for those memories. We had some good times and a lot of plans for our future together. But you are now a dud in the automotive world.
*If you don't look back at your car after you park it, you own the wrong car.–Unknown
