Yes, this must be it. There's no experience like driving a manual with a two-plus ton vehicle.
Agreed, I'm driving a ~2000kg truck atm with a stick shift from the 90s and a V8 in a hilly city and it's so much more fun than the arbitrary compact cars I've been borrowing for years. Super mega scary on gas, but fun nonetheless as on occasional leisure thing.
If you enjoy that, get a Deuce and a Half - not much worse on gas (lol) but the shift pattern is something else entirely.
I've never heard of this, but it looks incredible. I've seen some similar looking beasts around that seem to be modified for apocalypse survival and would love to try and drive it, as long as I don't have to reverse it up a slope lol