The mid-engine Corvette has been an unqualified hit for Chevrolet, thanks in large part to the wide variety of models it is available in, but there’s one kind you can’t get: a manual.
Unlike every Corvette before it, the C8 has never been offered with a stick shift from the factory. The packaging constraints of the hybrid models, superior performance of its 8-speed dual-clutch automatic and expected low sale volumes meant the extra effort wasn’t worth it and drivers could use paddles on the steering wheel to select gears if they like.
Enter Rezvani. The California custom car builder, which sells a $485,000 modified version of the Corvette called The Beast, has teamed up with Italian outfit Studio Carrozzi to create the Rezvani Quick Shift, which is a gated manual shifter interface that can be used instead of the paddles.
It’s being launched for the Ferrari 458, 488, F12 and GTC4 Lusso and sounds a lot like the faux manual shifter the Italian automaker just announced for its new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale, which adds an electronic clutch pedal like a racing simulator rig.
The Rezvani Quick Shift doesn’t have that, but the aluminum shifter mechanism is designed to fit in the cars without any cutting required. Trim pieces just need to be removed and the process is reversible within minutes.
It’s not simply a joystick controller, however. It has a complex linkage and motors that can move the lever themselves to keep it in the correct position when the automatic transmission changes gears on its own, or if the driver hits one of the paddles instead.
The price is $25,000 and versions are being developed for the Corvette and various Lamborghini models, although release dates have not been confirmed.
Rezvani isn’t the only company looking to address this issue for Corvette owners, however. Tremec, the transmission builder that supplies the Corvette’s automatic, revealed a 6-speed manual at the 2025 SEMA Show that is designed to fit in the same space as the automatic, but it has not announced plans to put it into production as an aftermarket accessory. Don’t expect Chevrolet to offer it from the factory any time soon, either.
“Tremec showed something at SEMA last year that I wish they wouldn’t have shown, that is not real,” Corvette Chief Engineer Tony Roma said at the 2027 Corvette launch event.
“We don’t have any plans to talk about a manual transmission, I love manual transmissions, all I can say is our 8-speed DCT is tremendous, it’s awesome, the car is faster and essentially better with the transmission we make.”
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4 Comments
$25,000 for a fake stick shift? That is not a value-add. The masses are not going to beg GM to add this option. Rezvani may sell a few, but I think it may lower resale prices. I certainly do not want a faux manual and Ferrari is not the company to follow done any rabbit hole let alone this one.
The Porsche Sportomatic and Valeo clutch available in the Mondial T were stepping stones to the modern DCT, so why take a step back.