What is the fastest stick shift car in the world? That’s a question often debated, as it can be answered in many different ways. First, are we talking about the fastest manual-transmission car built by the factory? Currently or ever? Or are we talking about the fastest one created by custom-fabrication shops and racers? Instead of choosing one, we decided to pull together a list that looks at the fastest in each of those categories.
We want to clarify that fastest and quickest are two separate things. It may seem like just a matter of semantics, but we like to be accurate. Fastest refers to speed, measured in mph. Quickest is how long it takes to accelerate to a specific speed or within a set distance. For this discussion, we are only looking at quickest. We are using 0-60 mph times for factory-built cars and elapsed time (e.t.) in a quarter-mile for modified cars.
Fastest Stick Shift Production Cars from 1990-2020
Included in this list are several vehicles that rolled off European and Japanese production lines. We’ve included ¼-mile times (e.t.) where the data was available, and 0-60 mph times for all of them. And these impressive numbers were achieved with a human depressing a clutch pedal, manipulating a shifter to change gears, then release the clutch pedal. You might be surprised to see the top of the list has quite a few cars that are now more than 20 years old. And no surprise, many of them also are equipped with a TREMEC transmission.
2012 Ariel Atom 500 (V8): 0-60 mph, 2.3 seconds
2016 Hennessey Venom GT Spyder: 0-60 mph, 2.4 seconds; 9.4 (e.t.)
2015 SSC Tuatara: 0-60 mph, 2.5 seconds; 9.7 (e.t.)
2015 Ariel Atom 3.5R: 0-60 mph 2.5 seconds; e.t.,10.8 (e.t.)
2012 Hennessey Venom: GT 0-60 mph, 2.5 seconds
2007 Caparo T1: 0-60 mph, 2.5 seconds
2010 Pagani Zonda R: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds
2013 Ariel Atom 3.5: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds
2006 Ultima GTR 720: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds; 9.9 (e.t.)
2017 Rezvani Beast: 0-60 mph, 2.7 seconds
2007 SSC Ultimate Aero TT: 0-60 mph, 2.7 seconds; 9.9 (e.t.)
2012 BAC Mono: 0-60 mph, 2.7 seconds
2015 Rossion Q1: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds; 10.2 (e.t.)
2011 HTT Plethore: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds
2019 Ariel Atom 4: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds
2009 Caparo T1 Race Extreme: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds
2010 Koenigsegg Trevita: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds
2016 Zenos E10 R: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2010 Noble M600: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds; 10.9 (e.t.)
2016 Ariel Atom 3: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2007 Ariel Atom 2 Stage 2: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
2009 Ariel Atom 3: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2011 Ariel Atom 3 Mugen: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
1999 TVR Cerbera Speed-12: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2012 Zenvo ST1: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2006 Mosler MT900 GTR: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds
2017 VLF Force 1 V10: 0-60 mph, 3.0 seconds
2016 Ariel Nomad Supercharged: 0-60 mph, 3.0 seconds
2011 GTA Spano: 0-60 mph, 3.0 seconds
2011 Gumpert Apollo Sport: 0-60 mph, 3.0 seconds
2011 Iconic AC Roadster: 0-60 mph, 3.0 seconds
2011 Chevrolet Camaro SLP ZL1: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 11.0 (e.t.)
1993 Bugatti EB110 SS: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds
2011 Ferrari 599 GTO: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 10.9 (e.t.)
2002 Mosler MT900 Photon: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 11.0 (e.t.)
2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 10.6 (e.t.)
2006 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 10.6 (e.t.)
2004 Koenigsegg CCR: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 9.9 (e.t.)
2006 Koenigsegg CCR: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 9.7 (e.t.)
2003 Mosler MT900 Photon: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 11.0 (e.t.)
2006 Mosler MT900SC: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 11.0 (e.t.)
2011 Mosler MT900SC: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds
2013 Mosler MT900 SC: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds; 11.0 (e.t.)
2011 Rossion Q1: 0-60 mph, 3.1 seconds
2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430: 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds
2007 Noble M400: 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
2009 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano: 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
2010 Porsche 911 Turbo (manual): 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
1994 McLaren F1: 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds; 11.1 (e.t.)
1991 Jaguar Sport XJR-15 Supercar: 0-60 mph, 3.2 seconds
2013 Dodge Viper GTS: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
2014 Dodge Viper Time Attack Edition: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds; 11.4 (e.t.)
2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds; 11 (e.t.)
Fastest Custom-Built Cars with a Manual Transmission
In the drag racing world, the debate of which is quicker, a manual or an automatic transmission, is never-ending. But it does provide great entertainment as various racers work to prove which is the quickest. Inside the stick-shift ranks there is a constant battle amongst racers in the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout. And these are true manual transmission-equipped racecars, not Lenco-style gearboxes. If you know of an H-patterned shift car that has run faster than the ones listed below, let us know by posting to the TREMEC Facebook page.
Joel Grannas/Grannas Racing Supra
Photo: Grannas Racing
Joel Grannas has been racing a long time, and his efforts have made him one of the most widely known and respected racers. He’s a leader in the 2JZ crowd, enthusiasts who are devout followers of the 3.0L inline-six that powered previous generations of the Toyota Supra. Joel recently broke the 6-second barrier in his Supra equipped with a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission, running 6.90 e.t. at 194 mph. You can read about Joel and his 6-second Supra by clicking here.
Jonathan Atkins Chevy Camaro Z28, “Grubb Worm”
Photo: Race Pages Digital
Although he didn’t snag the overall title, Jonathan Atkins of Tick Performance did set an impressive mark in becoming the quickest GM stick-shift car at the recent TX2K showdown. Powered by a Gen II LT1 small-block – that’s right, not an LS motor – “Grubb Worm” ran 7.28 e.t. at 196 mph. And Jonathan did it by shifting the gears of a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed. Like Joel Grannas, he is also on a quest to break into the 6s.
Two Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) Honorable Mentions
While a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) is controlled by the driver like an automatic transmission, its internals are similar to a manual transmission (click here to read The Differences Between a DCT and a Traditional Automatic Transmission), so we thought we would include a couple of top-performing DCT equipped cars in this list as well. And yes, they just happen use a TREMEC DCT.
Photo: Evan Smith
The TREMEC TR-9070 DCT is the only transmission available in the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. And with a 0-60 mph time under 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time under 11 seconds, it is also the quickest Mustang in Blue Oval history.
Photo: GM
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is equipped with a 6.2L V8 LT2 making up to 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. This next-gen small-block is paired with the TREMEC 8-speed TR-9080 DCT. With the Z51 Performance Package, this newest model has the fastest 0-60 mph time (2.9 seconds) of any Corvette built.