The latest generation of Corvette, known to fans as the C8, is an incredible machine. It’s been a mainstay on our 10Best award list since it arrived in 2020, excelling for its ability to provide impressive performance at an attainable price. But for many enthusiasts, one thing remains missing: a manual transmission. Now, however, there’s at least one manual C8 Corvette, with Alex Peitz of Peitz Performance showing off his stick-shift Vette at this year’s SEMA show.

Last year at SEMA, transmission maker Tremec unveiled a manual transmission that it said was compatible with the C8 Corvette. The reveal proved somewhat controversial, with Corvette chief engineer Tony Roma later saying, “Tremec showed something at SEMA last year that I wish they wouldn’t have shown. It’s not real. So when people say, ‘But there’s one that’s available,’ there isn’t.”

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Now a year later, Peitz is showing that the C8-ready Tremec TR-9060 six-speed manual transaxle certainly is real, and he’s become the first person to actually put it to use, at least publicly. Peitz had already 3-D scanned his Corvette in order to implement some track-day modifications, which certainly eased the process of fitting all of the new parts in, and given the car’s track-ready status, the final result is definitely still quite raw.

Still, Peitz has proved it’s possible, even if it took a bit of work to get everything to fit together. Peitz’s manual C8 uses a Porsche aftermarket gear selector and the clutch pedal from a CT4-V Blackwing, for which they built a custom bracket to mount it to the brake-pedal assembly before adding a pedal stop and hydraulic clutch assist. Peitz also snagged a flywheel from McLeod that uses the ring and teeth from a C8 flywheel and added a clutch.

Electronics are managed by a pair of MoTeC controllers: an M182 unit controls the engine, while an M150 unit handles ignition cuts when shifting with the manual transmission. Peitz Performance aims to start offering this plug-and-play setup to customers soon, which is designed to work with the manual or the factory dual-clutch transmission. The system still works with the factory wiring harness, as well as the standard instrument panel, ABS, and power-steering systems.

While this initial manual C8 is still a bit rough around the edges, Peitz aims to turn his one-off build into a conversion that customers can order using a single part number. Hot Rod got a chance to get behind the wheel of Peitz’s Vette and called the manual transmission “transformative.” Peitz has shown that the Tremec TR-9060 is real and can work, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see more manual-converted Corvettes at next year’s SEMA show.

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Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.

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