I have a 92 300 5spd and its seems pretty fast to me. 1st gear is short but it pushes me back.
The auto vs. 5spd, is about a sec difference in the 0-60, 5spd is supposed to be able to do it in 7sec if you can shift right and launch right.
My 1st goes somewhere between 30 and 35, 2nd goes up to 60mph, and I never look at the speedometer after that, just the RPM's so I know when to shift when doing a speed run.
I know once it gets to 110-120, it takes FOREVER to get beyond that. My fastest is 137 though.
My favorite is the 4th or 5th gear downshift to 2nd when you're between 35 and about 50mph to fly past another car.