Race your 2016 Chevy Camaro SS with a stick or a slush box?

We all know that today’s modern automatics are better than ever, capable of pulling off lightning-fast shifts, even better than most manual transmissions, which rely on the talent of their quick-handed drivers.

Pro drag racer Jeff Lutz might be the quickest-handed of them all. So he’s the best guy to show Hot Rod Magazine’s Elana Scherr whether the auto or the manual is the way to go on the new 2016 Camaro.

These sixth-gen Camaros have been through a lot: road-tripped, dyno’d, and drag-raced across 1,500 miles of This Great Nation of Ours, from Dallas to Los Angeles. Hot Rod faced off against Lutz and both cars saw times in the mid-to-low 12s.

And surprise, surprise: the automatic was faster, winding up with a 12.21 at 114.93 mph, while the manual saw 12.40 at 115.30 mph.

“Our conclusion?” writes Elana. “The car is way quicker than its advertised ETs and could be even quicker than any of our ETs, given a sticky track and a patient throttle application.”