Very weird with the CVT "paddles" Gordon. VERY weird. It's an engineering solution in search of a problem.

Lane, I think you kind of captured it for me. Sometimes (like last weekend at Corn Daze) I wanted all the "involvement" I could get. If it's the end of the day in traffic, just let the car shift itself.

No judgement on the automatic aspect, 'cause hey, sometimes maybe you can't or don't want to have to shift maually ... but for $50K you couldn't have at least made it pretty? Leather shift boot, wood knob would be a basic cosmetic fix ... something ... but that is just plain ugly!

I agree with Lane. If you're not using the "sport" part of "sports car" an automatic is comfortable in traffic and around town etc.  My wife's car has paddles and you can use the stick as well, which to me, feels a little more natural. Honestly though, 99% of the time I just put it in "D" and aim it. It shifts pretty well without my help.

I  have been wondering if a suby  4 speed automatic  could be adapted to a vw based engine  I just love the sound of a bug engine

Thanks for understanding, guys!  Kinda forgot there for a moment that I wasn't just shooting the crap with my buddies, and that I don't actually know any of you all personally!  For what it's worth though since I'm new here, my tongue in cheek sarcasm always seems to come across as derisive in written form.  It's not intended that way.  If I say something dumb, just look at my avatar, it tells the story 

Obviously it's just my opinion, but unless a medical condition prevented me from driving stick (and I can understand for those who it does, because my dad recently had knee surgery and can't drive a stick anymore) I would never own an automatic.  Even in traffic I'd rather have a stick, because as soon as traffic lets up you're right back into involved driving, which to me is what it's all about no matter the car.

I would love to have a 5~6 speed automatic for mine.Ive raced & built automatics for a very long time. manuals can be fun, but so can automatics.I dont ever recall ever loosing to a manul trans (clutch)car. and the older I get the more I want a auto.

I am trying to sell my car and looking into a spyder And for me it is all about being involved.   But while searching and doing homework, i have looked at several 911's, etc to see whats out there I ran across quite a few automatics and I just could not see getting an automatic in a car like that.  BUT I too can see where it would be needed for those that can't shift and more power to them.  As long as they are enjoying the trip, that is all that matters!

Era wrote: I would never own an automatic....

Man you not know what you speak....

Try driving a 13 speed trans every day for 34 years ( est. 2,720,000 miles)and then get a new truck with Allison 6 speed automatic for the past 6 years another measly 500,000 add'l miles... ...automatic is heaven and much quicker down the road than a 13 speed ~

A good friend of mine bought a used 2006 Porsche 911 4S with a six speed stick shift in 2008.  He had an old 911 years and years ago and wanted to drive a Porsche again.  A year ago last April when he was in Florida for three months and looking at all of the Ferraris, he said to himself, "hey, I'm Italian.  What am I doing driving a German car?  I'm going to buy a Ferriari when I get back to Rhode Island".  So he did.  He traded in the '06 Porsche for an '07 Ferrari f430 hardtop with paddle shifters.  Evidently you can't find a slightly used Ferraris with a stick shift.  From the comments he makes I think he'd love to have his Porsche back.  He doesn't like the paddle shifters and wants a clutch.  He'd sure use a Porsche a lot more than the Ferrari.  The Ferrari sounds great, runs great and goes fast but it's not a Porsche.  As they say,  “Once you're with Porsche, you're married to the brand. You only have affairs with Italian cars.”

I'm loving this discussion because I go back and forth.  As I said earlier, my daily commute (which I did for several years with a 5-speed) does not lend itself to a stick, and I love the quick and effortless response of the BMW.  Still, I have been know to take the Speedster to work on occasion.  There's room here for all types of drivers, but I don't see myself having a toy car (hobby, vice, call it what you will) with an automatic.  I have driven Clint Owings' SAS Cabrio with a turbo Subi automatic.  It was fast when the turbo spooled up, but it was almost too refined for me.  I just didn't feel as involved with what was going on.  That said, I can see the fun of his car, and it certainly could leave mine behind.  I am probably repeating myself here (two glasses of wine), so I'll quit.  Talk amongst yourselves.

It would be nice if it could be made to work in a rear engine configuration?

Why?  Much better weight distribution when it's mid-engine.

Probably for those folks who already have a traditional car but want an automatic.

Well, there's always the full automatic out of VW 411/412 wagon or one of the later type 3's.  Later Vanagons had a full auto, too, although I don't know how many of them made it to the 'states - they were everywhere else in the world.......

Speaking of that, the later Vanagons had a water cooled type 4 engine in the 'states, as well as an Audi 5-cylinder drive train (engine/transmission) in South Africa and other countries.  Lots of opportunities to adapt, if that floats your boat.

Weren't the VW autoboxes 3 speeds?  I know the Vanagon autobox is.

John, because most Subie speedsters are rear engine.

Ron,

Rear engine Subi engine with Subi tranny is possible with a reversed r&p from Subarugears.com.  They only make the gears for the Subi 5-speed manual, not 6-speed or auto.  That's why Kevin Zagar put a 5-speed manual instead of the 6-speed with the 6-cyl Subi in the monster Ghia.

our first race rig was a std,shift all dam day long, the next one(with living quarters)was an autoshifted manul with a clutch(10 speed ).talk about getting spoiled and the 475 hp motor was awassom pulling the stacker trailer. as for these cars I drive my bug every day.and you cant be racing everywhere every day as hard as I try it just cant be done cptn,cant be done!!!no Im not lazy, yes my arm&knees hurt,yes I can shift without any issues at all pretty darn fast, not miss a gear.but in the end it's still a vw, not a race car. our promod has a lenco in it.I would love to have one on the street or a 5 or 6 speed in a street car with lotsa power(as in 600+), but those days are gone,I have the car to do it but it aint going to hapen and certanly not to this 356.it will have a mild 2387 with hyd rollercam&some other trick goodies(miled to meand some, way to wild to many others) in th end it's all about 1 your pocket,2 your prefrence,3 your pocket,4the app of the car,5 where and how the car is driven,6 your pocket.8 your wife. I would also love to have a 6 speed manul in my bug.Why?? who the eff knows, just to play with when Im bored,but remember it is my only car other than the 356 witch wont be finished for a long while unless somebody buys my racecar.( I could eb driving the porsche(356 ) next week but that aint in the plan and wont happen.I dont trust anybodyelses work at all.it's just that simple.well I might would trust kevin's zagars. but thats not in the plan either.) Ive seen a lot f things that would make me throw up if I had paid good money for and an automatic trans isant on the list of effed up stuff I have seen good $ wasted on.

Gordon, you're mostly right. I had a '91 Vanagon Westy for ten years. It had a 3 speed and was for IRS. I'm sure it could be adapted to a Bug. It had an engine carrier across the back of the engine, bolted to an aluminum mount over the oil pump that I still have an extra. Will fit a type3/universal case. The Wasserboxer was a strange animal, aluminum case with water jackets built in. 2109cc for the later model(86-91), which is 76mm stroke by 94mm pistons. It had a three bearing crank with a type4 flywheel flange. Looked like stock rockers in new watercooled heads. They coulda perfected it, but it only put out 90 hp on a good day.

Trans was bulletproof, and not very stressed, but you were full throttle all the time pushing 3600 pounds! I had over 180,000 on the trans(second motor) when I sold it.

I bought an 86 a year and a half ago.  94,000 miles on the odometer and original paint.

Cool looking Westy, Ron! I'd like to have one of those. 

LMFAO @ this thread.............isn't the whole idea of a replica, so that you can get the look/ feeling of the real thing at a fraction of the cost? 

I don't see any threads slagging off wide-body speedsters and honestly if you want that J-lo look, build a Cobra......, so why does this one get pulled out of the line, when visually a wide-body looks nothing like the real thing????

lol@replica snobbery............ 

The Chaparrals did ok. 

I live in a very small town in the Northwest and since I am retired, I seldom drive in traffic, and I enjoy the control I have with a manual in a sporting kind of car so I am looking forward to shifting my JPS on the backroads of this area.

Oddly, I now have automatics in utility vehicles (jeeps, pickups) that spend time on very steep, rough and rocky primitive roads and boat ramps ect..when I am concentrating on other types of control... try it, you will like it. 

If I spent even 30% of my time in stop and go city traffic, I would have a automatic.    

Whoa, wait a minute ... who said anything about widebodies?  This is about transmission, not body style!

As most of us probably do, we have our regular cars / trucks and they have automatic transmissions for convenience. My wife, until recently would not own an automatic. We've had two BMW X5's. The first one was an '02 with a five speed and we took that out in February in Maine 13 or 14 miles to the base of Mt. Katahdin in three feet of snow and it never slipped even with regular all seasons on it, it was a tank.The second was an '07 auto and it just didn't have the same feel or control, more luxury sedan and less SUV.

I myself am much more open minded and have no problem with automatic vs stick, classic vs outlaw. The more variety the better, but I repeat: For the kind of money spent, that shifter is just plain ugly! I think it ruins the presentation.

Took this from their website: 

We do NOT manufacture ring and pinions for the 6 speed STi transmissionsor Automatic transmissions.

Their website:

http://www.subarugears.com/

It's mentioned above, but subarugears.com (Jake's supplier) doesn't do conversions for automatics.