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I'm with the OP, I prefer a manual when given the option (even if not given the option). I almost bought a Vantage, but fear of maintenance and repair costs kept me away. Gorgeous cars, but not really very comfortable, and difficult to get into.
I know a guy who put a LS engine in a BMW 5 series and did a ridiculous amount of engineering to get it to work. Fortunately, he is an engineer, and the donor car (Camaro) and recipient (E34) were both old and nearly worthless. He also put in the Camaro IP and some kind of iPad/iDrive system. It works, but the cost in manhours was substantial.
I almost bought a Vantage, but fear of maintenance and repair costs kept me away. Gorgeous cars, but not really very comfortable, and difficult to get into.
They're about the same as 911 to get into. The seats are way more comfortable than the XK's though. Limited adjustments for the passenger.
There have been several threads on engine swaps. Lets keep this thread alive primarily for manual transmission swaps. Contact Andrew at Jaguar Specialties if you want to swap a LS base engine into an X100, He can tell you the specific complications to trying to do the swap in a X150..
He's just looking at some of the related parts that would make the swap work.
Which in this case if not able to hack the systems might also include an engine swap.
For a race car a standalone system could be made if willing to lose interior function.
In that situation the AJV8 could be kept, but the LS motor still might be an easier overall project.
How one gets to a manual transmission X150 will largely depend on skillsets and desired end result.
I would keep the X150 with the automatic, as it's better suited for a GT.
Save your money, time, and untold aggravation with the electronics trying to put a manual transmission into an X150 and buy this new Mustang Mach 1 for $52K- it comes with a manual six-speed Tremec:
Almost anything can be accomplished given enough time and money. Given that I would love a manual option in the XK, I don't have enough of those two things for such a project, so for that reason I'm out. LOL
