A V6 Manual transmission or V8 automatic?

the advantage on a manual is that there are more gears (ie 5 or 6 speed) whereas an automatic has 3 or 4. having more gears allow you to create better engine to wheel ratios to accelerate faster, almost like putting a 3.73 in your rear end compared to stock. That being said, todays automatics have very precise and accurate shift schedules and are just as good as manuals because you cant miss a shift, or let the rpms fall too much. at the end of the day your trying to compare transmissions as deciding factor to whos car is faster, when the tranmission is really just a middle man in the equation. for the most part you should be saying whos engine makes more power. btw, the new S197 mustangs (2005+) are heavy dogs, thats a huge factor to take into account.

Assuming equal ability between both contestants, the driver with the most power SHOULD WIN. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE, HOWEVER. The car with a manual transmission has the advantage of not having as much slippage built into it at the factory, which can PARTIALLY OFFSET POWER DIFFERENCE. The old adage of "You can't beat cubic inches," would probably tend to hold true, in this instance. Some have also stated that "You can beat cubic inches, but only if you have cubic DOLLARS."

I don't know the exact differences between a 2002 and 2005 mustang V8 & V6, but I think your father is generally right when talking about manual vs. auto with the same engine... but with different engines.. a small v6 manual engine against a big v8 auto engine, the smaller engine, even if manual trans would probably have a difficult time.

I'd put my money on the '05 manual trans. I drove an '03 GT and then my b/f, at the time, traded it in for an '07 GT. Both had manual trans., what is the point of having a fun car if it's automatic, or a Fakestang as I call them lol. Of course, it also depends on the driver. If ya know how to red-line it and get the power out of it, you'd win, hands down.

What Rolf46 (above) said is absolutely true. The manual trans will help you accelerate faster to a degree, but not enough to compensate for the smaller displacement of your engine.