New Chevy Corvette C8 makes sure you will not miss stick shift

There is more to the eighth generation of the Chevrolet Corvette than its mid-engine layout. For the first time in history, the car ships exclusively with an 8-gear Tremec DCT, ditching manual transmission. Controversial though the decision may seem, Chevrolet promises you will not miss driving stick.

Like all modern transmission designs, the Tremec box has a quasi-“manual” mode, which enables you to switch gears using the paddle shifter under the steering wheel. However, the Corvette can do more than that.

According to Kevin Kelly, Press Secretary of GMC, all owners of the sports car will be able to let the engine run idle at the traffic lights, just so that everyone around would listen to an impressive 6.2L V8 in action. To do so, you simply need to pull both paddles simultaneously. The system will then switch to neutral, allowing you to rev up and start from a higher gear once the green light goes up.

In case you forgot, the C8 comes equipped with a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine rated at 502 hp (375 kilowatts) and 637 Nm (470 pound-feet) of torque. You can opt for the Z51 Performance package to get an additional 5 hp (3 kW) along with some other niceties.