The BMW I8 is a neat car.
Neat. But no manuals. I still find an automatic transmission in an exotic to be an insult.
It’s like performing in a marathon to win - Only you hate the idea of running.
The new automatics can shift much faster than any human being.
You might find destroying the engine of a supercar by mistaken shifting exhilarating, but manufacturers do not. Nor do they relish amateur drivers being forced to take a hand off the wheel at high speed.
There are plenty of antique opportunities, and some modern ones, for gleefully rowing your own.