One of my early acquisitions was a 1954 Chev with 2 speed Powerglide auto;
what a slug. I had a Studebaker Lark which was even slower, and a side valve Rambler which was faster when being pushed than when being driven.
I've driven them all, 3 on the floor and/or the tree. 4 ditto + twig on the
dash [Citreon ID19 onward]. Also full and partial synchro, and crash boxes.
Hans, there are plenty of very responsive autos out there, historically manual
models were always quicker than their auto siblings, but these days some autos are quicker through the gears than the manual versions.
raymo