In an age when every performance car seems to default to a twin-turbocharged engine and a dual-clutch gearbox, it’s worth revisiting the machines that defined a wilder era. The 1990s gave us the analog supercar in its purest form: naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive, and almost always paired with a proper manual gearbox. Cars like the Lamborghini Diablo and McLaren F1 were the benchmarks, and even four-seat grand tourers like the Ferrari 456 and Jaguar XJ220 came with a manual as standard. Today, virtually every Jaguar — and the vast majority of supercars, save for rare holdouts like the Pagani Utopia and GMA T.50 — ships with an automatic.
