As above, you don't HAVE to get a reverse pattern body. But I found mine to be a PITA with a stock shifter. You have to release the push button to shift from 1 to 2, and again 2 to 3, and it's WAY to easy to "miss" and slip from 1 to 3.
If you downshift, there are no locks, so it's WAY to easy to miss and go into 1 or N
I DO LIKE manual bodies. "Way more fun." But you really should have a shifter that allows some safety. With a forward pattern body, you can easily miss from 1 -2 and slip to 3 or N. At full throttle, my car "bangs" hard enough, even when the 318 was in there, that it's easy to miss with the stock shifter.