I’ve been driving manuals for over 50 years now,both syncro and non syncro. I cannot use the CVT paddle shifters in manual mode. Without a clutch, I just don’t get the feel for the proper shift points. But the downshift lever works in automatic which comes in handy when I hit a sharp downhill curve, like some of those in the Tioga Pass in Yosomite.
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Oh yes, that drive downhill of Tioga Pass in Yosemite is quite an adventure. Drove it in 1990 and again in 1991.
First time, in '90, there was already a small rockslide blocking the oncoming uphill lane at one spot. Seconds after I drove past it the whole mountain started shaking and a big rockslide roared down just yards behind my car with huge rocks sweeping all the way across the road and cascading far far far down to the scree covered mountainside below and with enough rocks left on the road to totally block the road both uphill and downhill. One of my most “exhilerating” driving experiences. 
Great for rentals where you can red line it in first and second to get faster acceleration in some vehicles. Just my own experience. 
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Autostick was the name, from curbside classics
It’s a pretty simple affair, really; a two-piece shifter with an internal contact actuates an automatically-engaging clutch when pressure is applied to the shifter itself; the three-speed transmission (essentially the VW four-speed manual minus first gear) is coupled to the engine by means of a good old-fashioned torque converter, eliminating both the need to shift into neutral at idle as well as a clutch pedal. The torque converter took the place of first gear; L-1-2 were the same as a three-pedal VW’s standard 2-3-4. In fact, remembering my friend Kate’s ‘73 Autostick that we tooled around with in high school, I believe you could pretty much leave it in first (equivalent to third gear) most of the time you were in town
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The grand master, Aryton Senna, did drive an F1 car around Monaco with his left hand on the wheel and his right hand on the stick.
I think paddle shifter got in production cars through Ferrari because F1 at the time started to convert to paddle shifter. A decade later, everyone copied Ferrari, minus the single clutch automated manual transmission.
I can’t find it now, but I saw a youtube video of an F1 car getting out of the garage. The driver put the car in gear, grab the lower left corner of the steering with the right hand(to modulate the clutch paddle), then turn the wheel over with the right hand to the left 180 degrees while slipping the clutch. Imagine all those who claim that their automatic cars with paddle shifters are just like a manual trying that.
Tragically, Aryton Senna died in a race car crash in 1994. I don’t think any driver today would agree to drive an F1 car without paddles. I’m not sure the rules would even allow it.
R.I.P. Aryton Senna.
Senna didn’t die because of one-hand-on the wheel. He died because the steering column pierced his helmet in a crash caused by cold tires with low tire pressure.
Paddle shifters, or semi-automatic gearboxes in F1 came about to decrease shift times. Introduced ion 1989 by Ferrari and adopted across the board by 1995. Introduced in Ferrari road cars in '93. They are relatively conventional dog-ring transmission with the gear change and clutch operated electro-hydraulically. When “driver aids” like active suspensions were outlawed, the teams lobbied to keep the semi-auto gearboxes because they were more reliable. I.e., no “missed” shifts.
Paddle shifter semi-automatic transmissions were adopted in Indycars around 2007.
I never implied that he had. I was simply pointing out that he raced in an era before paddle shifters. If they’d been available when he was racing, he probably would have had them. Control of those vehicles is critical, to the point that modern F1 steering wheels are chock-full of buttons for the driver to do just about everything he needs to without taking his hands off the wheel.
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Back to production cars, I think part of the reason why we are seeing more shift paddles has to do with the number of gears in a modern transmission. Imagine what PRND7654321 would look like in the center console
LOL, an excellent point that I hadn’t thought of. That would be “busy”! 
I hadn’t thought of that either. I 've been so used to P, R, N, D, 3, 2, 1 all my life. And now I have a car with a six geared tranny. head slap 
My first car only had P R N D L, 2 speed Powerglide!
Maybe not all gears are offered for low drive capabilities. I haven’t looked at many 6 or more speed transmissions. Just a guess.
Aka “prindle” pattern.
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My first one only had R N D L, no park.
A guy I worked with had a Lexus and loved to shift the automatic manually. Result was broken linkage before 100K miles.
That’s the main reason I can think of for paddle or toggle shifters. The floor shifter would extend from the dashboard through the back seat with all the gears there are now.
Now my 64 Oldsmobile had an interesting shifter on the column:
P N D S L R
Not a bad pattern for when you need to get unstuck by rocking the car back and fourth. Did the R have a lockout so you didn’t accidentally go there while looking for a lower gear?
Nope. Just had to be careful. The reverse at the bottom wasn’t unusual back then, it was the standard configuration for all the GM Hydramatic and Roto-Hydramatic transmissions in the early 60’s if I recall.
@asemaster. I remember the brochure for the 1953 Chevrolet which played up the fact that Low and Reverse were right next to each other in the P-N-D-L-R arrangement which allowed for easy rocking of the car-just move the lever back and forth from L to R and rock the car free. Of course, rocking a car hard this way was a.boon to the transmission repair business.