After driving with Mike in his Auto LS1 Z, I decided that the auto is nicer than the manual. Depeding on how and where you plan to drive the car, auto may be more practical. My T56 is nice and all, but my next buildup (whatever that may be) will be auto. My daily driver is a Z28 (LT1-T56), and it is a PITA in traffic (a fact of life in SoCal)
Tim