The clutch and shifter are as they should be in the Vantage, IMO. As some others here, I also owned an S2000. No powerful car is going to shift as nice as that. Evora 400 & Shelby GT350 are darn close.

Vantage is not the best shifting V8. If a Shelby GT350 was a 10, the Vantage would be an 8.5. It's not the shifting I would worry about on the V8V, but the sudden stalling that is quite common among owners.

Don't let that deter you in driving a manual Vantage. I would buy another one. The lightweight flywheel and double clutch plates sound cool if you buy one that needs a clutch.

I agree on the lever placement. The shift quality in my V12 is very good (nothing to compare to a great Honda box, mind), but the shifter is too far rearward for me. Shifts to 2/4/6 are somewhat problematic, though if you sit further back than I do it might not be an issue.

My 2008 6MT is fine, not as good as my 996. The biggest disappointment for me is the accelerator lag, which makes heel-toe shifting more of a challenge. I hear it’s better with the lighter flywheels.

The 200 cell CATs and tune made the biggest difference in removing the lag, the lightened flywheel had a much smaller impact.

Cheers,
Daryl

The M96, despite all it's warts, is a great engine. But just a tune on the 4.3 and it puts the M96 to shame. It eagerly revs to 7200RPM and gets better and better as you get there.