That was a great video. While it is quite evident Leno and Cammisa are on different levels of automotive ownership (who really is with Leno) there was purpose on Leno's question regarding BMW's current offerings of manual transmissions. I think Cammisa wanted to make the statement a lot of us think and feel, which is BMW should still offer non-///M, naturally aspirated sports sedans and sports coupes.
Cammisa's reply back that the current offerings of mega-powered turbo'd inline-6, while mostly not suffering turbo lag (cough-cough), are no replacement for a naturally aspirated inline-6 mated to a ZF or Getrag manual, is spot on.
Having been an original 18-year owner of a 1989 E30 325i manual, like Cammisa eluded to, running a M20 through its paces between 4,200 and 6,200 RPM on a back country road is an indescribably wonderful experience. It's like running a Honda 4-cylinder Vtec yet with a several octaves lower of torque, but with far better sound. The mechanical noises an M20 makes just at idle is worth the price of admission. At full song no other post-M20 NA BMW 6 comes near the music. I've owned the M54 and both versions of the N52, so I have first-hand understanding (the N52 is close). The price you pay for the tunes is mechanical valve lash adjustment with the M20. The payback though is the personal connection you get with the engine, on a warm Saturday afternoon, having to open up the cambox every 30,000 miles, pull the plugs and rotate the crank (no Jesus bolt here) and dial in the lash with the eccentric adjuster.
This is why new cars are boring. EV's...
