Chevrolet has no intention of offering a manual gearbox option for its C8 Corvette. Tremec, however, has already built one that will fit the car. The problem is that the amount of work required to get it all working is tremendous. But one shop has taken on the task.
Peitz Performance Tunes of Tomball, Texas, has built the C8 that many folks would open their wallets for if it were offered right from the factory. If you want Peitz to build you one, they will… just be prepared to spend serious cash to make it happen.
The Cost To Have A Manual C8 Corvette
This isn’t simply a matter of bolting the Tremec up to the engine. Peitz, of course, needs to make room for the shifter, clutch, all the hardware needed to make it happen, and then you get into the software side of things. Peitz uses a MoTec system to get around the GM software.
But once the swap is done, Peitz says it will swap in a new center console that retains the original car’s switchgear and drive-mode selector. So what does a manual swap run you on a C8 Corvette? Peitz says the conversion will cost between $60,000 and $70,000. And it can only be offered on the base Corvette at the moment.
Petiz offers tunes and upgrades for many Corvettes, so getting more power from your base Stingray shouldn’t be a problem. Still, that’s a hefty financial ask for the swap.
It will be interesting to see how many take Petiz up on the offer. There’s no doubt the car would have a totally different, more engaging spirit, but do you need to pay double the entry price to get it?
After all, the C7 Grand Sport still exists… and that’s one hell of a machine. But it’s hard to argue with the performance leap the Corvette took when it went mid-engine. It’s a different beast. I never really warmed to the base-model cars, but the Z06 and up are all truly world-class sports cars. And the ZR1 is one of the wildest vehicles I’ve ever driven… period.
Maybe a manual gearbox Stingray would help liven up the bottom end of the lineup, after all.
