That's the key right there... all of the tiptronic/sensotronic/sportshift/blah blah transmissions may have paddles, buttons, or a flippy shifter, but they're still transfering power through a sloppy torque converter and planetary gearset. F1, SMG, Cambiocorsa, and eGear all use a real manual transmission with separate gears and a clutch/flywheel/pressure plate, but they add a few extra levers and electronics to operate the shifts. The transmission and associated mechanical components in my F1 equipped car are identical to the parts in the same car equipped with a shifter and 3 pedals. At 6'5" though, the shift lever hits my knee in 1st and 2nd gear and there's no room for my feet in the footwell, which is why I went with the F1. I still prefer a 3 pedal car, but the F1 system is pretty damn cool.

-R