A brief Affair

[DrivenToDistraction]

Just looks like I will have to be keeping it for the next 10 years at least as hot hatch manual gearboxes are rapidly disappearing.

I could be wrong, but with the end of the Focus this year I think thats already happened...

No I30N, Focus ST, Fiesta ST, Polo GTI, Civic Type R...

Remaining are all autos - Golf, S3, Skoda VRS, BMW 135i, Merc A...

It appears that you are correct. I thought you could still order a civic type R but a quick Google search revels that Honda has suspended new orders in the UK. I think you can still order a Focus ST but only for the next few months.

I heard yesterday that Merc is stopping production of the A45, which probably means that Audi RS3's days are also probably numbered. I also read that more than half of the UK registered Focus RS's are SORNed, so it's pretty obvious what those owners are thinking.

[fredgroves]

Its all because of the emmissions testing I believe...

Auto boxes are more effecient in those tests.

Certainly when you could buy a manual GTI it suddenly had a lower official CO2 figure than the manual... whereas in the past (12+ years ago!) it used to be that autos were worse (I remember this as a company car driver.... autos made no sense at all back then - pay extra leasing monthlies for auto and then pay more tax because of worse CO2 and a higher list price!)

[fredgroves]

Ahhh next year for the end of the Polo. I thought it was this year...

[Exonian]

I also read that more than half of the UK registered Focus RS's are SORNed, so it's pretty obvious what those owners are thinking.

Those owners are probably doing a stretch at HM’s pleasure 

[DrivenToDistraction]

I also read that more than half of the UK registered Focus RS's are SORNed, so it's pretty obvious what those owners are thinking.

Those owners are probably doing a stretch at HM’s pleasure 

I actually laughed out loud at that one! Yes, some of them quite probably. The rest are biding their time waiting for a miracle.