20 years ago, sure. Now if you want fun torque you drive electric and blink with confusion at manual-snobs.

I learned on stick and I still feel a nostalgic appeal, sure. I test drove a used hothatch Volvo C30 T5 Polestar edition last fall before ultimately settling on an electric performance car (Polestar 2) to feed my midlife indulgences. And I have to admit a certain ... thrill... from the turbo lag and the process of shifting.

But it all seems a bit silly when compared to instant torque at any RPM.