

I would guess the high price of gas in Europe (compared to the US) has
always favoured 4-cylinder manuals.

small engines with autos are a real bore...

But why not turn the question around, why are automatics so common in
the US?

My guess is that when they tried to couple manuals to the torque-rich
V8's in the sixties the clutches turned out as real killers you had to 
use both feet to depress, and that this has just lived on.

And also, an automatic with a V8 engine can be real fun to drive.

Markus


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  / |  / |   / |   /   / /  /  /   / /       
 /  | /  |  /__|  /___/ /--|  /   / /___     '75 Chevy Camaro 350/TH350
/   |/   | /   | /   | /   | /___/ ____/     '87 Peugout 205 1.4/4-speed