These 7 Sports Cars Will Be Future Classics For A Common Reason

Bad news. In case you didn’t already know, cars are depreciating assets. On average, a vehicle will lose 41.8 percent of its original value in the first five years of ownership, regardless of make, model, or segment. Drill down to the more specific markets, and the news can get even worse. That doesn’t mean a car can’t snag classic status in due time. And one smile-inducing quality might be enough to put a car over the edge and into collectors’ minds.

No, we’re not talking about a luxury trim or the biggest infotainment screen available. We’re talking about an old-school three-pedal manual transmission setup. Sports cars that demand the driver select every gear. For 2026, there are about two dozen models you can still option with a manual gearbox. Sadly, a rowable transmission just isn’t as popular as it once was. On that note, these seven sports cars refuse to give up the third pedal, and it may very well make them collectible in the future.

2026 Toyota GR86 Yuzu Edition

Starting Price: $37,560

Amee Reehal | TopSpeed

Ever heard that adage, “Keep it simple, stupid?” It’s a less-than-flattering way to remind someone that there’s merit to simplicity. Unsurprisingly, the advice applies to many contexts, including sports cars. Enter the 2026 Toyota GR86. The GR86 and its mechanical sibling, the Subaru BRZ, prefer a back-to-basics approach to a modern sports car. It’s a simple, satisfying formula: a taut chassis, communicative steering, a rigid coupe platform, a light curb weight, and a rev-happy flat four-cylinder engine. Better yet, you can get a six-speed manual transmission in both the GR86 and BRZ, including in the limited-run Toyota GR86 Yuzu Edition.

Toyota

For 2026, the United States market will get just 860 copies of the GR86 Yuzu Edition. Named for the bright-yellow citrus fruit, the Yuzu Edition benefits from last year’s Performance Package, including Brembo four-piston front brakes, two-piston rear brakes, and Sachs gas-pressurized shocks. Sure, a six-speed automatic is available for an $1,100 premium, but we’d stick with the six-speed manual. After all, you might see manual-equipped GR86s at classic car shows one day.

2026 Toyota GR86 Yuzu Edition Specs

2026 Nissan Z Performance

Starting Price: $54,265

Nissan

Nissan stepped into the retro performance car market with the 400-horsepower Z back in 2023. Right from the start, the Nissan Z was available with sports car qualities, like a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Unfortunately, the stiffer, angrier, track-focused Z NISMO has yet to offer a manual gearbox. That hasn’t stopped Nissan from selling the Performance trim with a six-speed gearbox. And unlike the base-level Sport trim, the Z Performance gets a limited-slip differential, bitier brakes, a stiffer suspension setup, posher, power-adjustable seats, and 19-inch wheels wrapped up in staggered summer tires.

Nissan

Power is courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with no smaller four-cylinder option available. A muscular engine? Check. A fun rear-wheel drive package? Check. Add the six-speed manual transmission, and the retro-styled 2026 Nissan Z has the makings of a future classic. Better yet, the Nissan Z NISMO, which wasn’t available with a manual, will get a rowable gearbox soon.

2026 Nissan Z Performance Specs

2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Starting Price: $66,075

Ford

It’s apropos that Ford’s resident pony car and sports coupe is named after a wild horse. The Ford Mustang is stubborn like an unbroken steed, refusing to give up its six-speed manual transmission. And we love it for its refusal to surrender the stick. Every naturally aspirated 2026 Ford Mustang offers a six-speed manual transmission, though they’re not the same gearboxes. The GT packs a Getrag-sourced MT-82, while the more potent Ford Mustang Dark Horse channels its fury via a TREMEC TR-3160 six-speed gearbox.

TopSpeed | Michael Frank

Granted, the Dark Horse doesn’t get a coveted Shelby badge. It does, however, get its very own badge: the lowered head of a noir horse angled directly at the viewer. The Dark Horse also produces 500 horsepower courtesy of a 5.0-liter Coyote V8. As a result, it’s more than collectible; it’s no slouch. Testers managed to coax the Dark Horse to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission equipped.

2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Specs

2026 Toyota GR Supra Final Edition

Starting Price: $70,545

Toyota

Time is running out for the Toyota GR Supra. After 2026, Toyota will close the book on the MkV Supra, bringing an end to the BMW B58 inline-six-powered era. To commemorate the sendoff, the Japanese automaker created a “Final Edition” for the 2026 Toyota GR Supra. It’s not just a set of door sills and a decklid badge, though.

Amee Reehal | TopSpeed

The Final Edition gets some stiffer suspension bushings, bigger Brembo brakes, carbon fiber treatments, and a Final Edition tune for the differential and adaptive dampers. The six-speed manual gearbox isn’t the only option, but it’s the one we’d pick for a collectible Toyota sports car. That said, buying a GR Supra Final Edition doesn’t come cheap. The 2026 Toyota GR Supra Final Edition starts at $70,545, a $7,900 premium over the mid-tier GR Supra Premium.

2026 Toyota GR Supra Specs

2026 BMW Z4 M40i

Starting Price: $71,825

BMW

Sculpted styling. A standard electric soft top. A thrusty BMW B58 inline-six. What’s missing from the equation? A manual gearbox, of course. Up until the 2024 model year, the G29 BMW Z4 wasn’t available with a third pedal. Now, however, the “Handschalter” fixes that issue. The Handschalter package, which roughly translates to hand shift in German, adds a clutch pedal and a six-speed gearbox, something missing from the BMW Z4 since the previous E89 generation.

BMW

It doesn’t stop there, though. Opting for the Handschalter treatment on the 2026 BMW Z4 adds a specially-tuned adaptive suspension setup, stiffened anti-roll bars, and wider rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber. Mated to the sonorous B58 inline-six turbocharged 3.0-liter engine, the Z4 M40i is fast enough to hit 60 mph in under four seconds. Unfortunately for the sDrive30i and its 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder mill, the six-speed manual is only an option for the inline-six-powered M40i.

2026 BMW Z4 M40i Specs

2026 Lotus Emira Jim Clark Edition

Starting Price: $142,400

Lotus

For those who aren’t in the know, Jim Clark is kind of a big deal in motorsport history. The soft-spoken Scot still holds the record for the highest number of Formula 1 “Grand Slams” (starting from pole position, leading every lap, setting the fastest lap, and winning) at eight. To commemorate his dominating racing career with Lotus, the British automaker offers a Jim Clark Edition for the 2026 Lotus Emira. It bears the characteristic green-and-yellow color palette of Clark’s Lotus and a wooden gear shift commemorating Clark’s Indy 500-winning Lotus Type 38.

Lotus

The 2026 Lotus Emira Jim Clark Edition packs a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6. Of course, that wooden gear shift knob wouldn’t look quite right attached to the Emira’s optional six-speed automatic transmission. Instead, the Type 38-inspired knob works a notchy six-speed manual. Lotus is limiting the Jim Clark Edition to just 60 copies, a tip of the racing helmet to the 60th anniversary of Clark’s unbelievable 1965 racing season. Frankly, if the inclusion of an engaging six-speed manual transmission isn’t enough to make the verdant, special-edition Lotus a future classic, the commemorative nod to a racing great should do the trick.

2026 Lotus Emira Jim Clark Edition Specs

2026 Porsche 911 Carrera T

Starting Price: $150,350

Porsche

Perhaps no performance car has evolved in quite the same way that the Porsche 911 has. What started as a small, charming air-cooled sports car has developed into a razor-sharp performer with road manners. However, things look a little different for the latest 992.2 911s than they did in previous generations. While you can still get a 2026 Porsche 911 with a six-speed manual gearbox, you’re limited to just one trim: the $150,350 Porsche 911 Carrera T.

Porsche

Power is still courtesy of the 911’s orchestral twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six-cylinder. But instead of using the 911 Carrera 4S’s eight-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, the Carrera T offers a three-pedal, six-speed manual application. Opting for the Carrera T also adds six-piston front brakes with 13.8-inch rotors. If the grab-a-gear driving experience and walnut shifter weren’t instigating enough, the added braking performance is sure to egg drivers on. It’s quite simply the purist’s holdout in the Carrera’s current trim lineup.

2026 Porsche 911 Carrera T Specs

Sources: BMW, Ford, Porsche, Toyota, iSeeCars