Got invited to the Porsche 70th Anniversary celebration today at Penske Porsche. Fun event with some really awesome cars on display, including a 959. The one that left me laugh was the handwritten note in the passenger side footwell of a gorgeous black 356 Speedster. Really, you're one of the premier Porsche dealers and you need basic instructions like this?

Well, as a top notch dealership, they don't want it treated like an automatic

Millennial and stick driver here... (as is my younger wife, we both have MT vehicles)

The shift pattern could just be informational, it’s fairly uncommon nowadays for anyone to drive a 4-speed. They probably don’t want boomers, gen-x or millennials flailing about the pattern.

Really?

Every stick shift I've ever driven had the pattern on the little emblem embossed in the shifter handle. At least until that fell off anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by hile:
Every stick shift I've ever driven had the pattern on the little emblem embossed in the shifter handle. At least until that fell off anyway.

I remember many that did not have the pattern. Either plain, or maybe the vehicle brand's logo.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by hile:
Every stick shift I've ever driven had the pattern on the little emblem embossed in the shifter handle. At least until that fell off anyway.

I remember many that did not have the pattern. Either plain, or maybe the vehicle brand's logo.

Yeah, I remember Reverse being down and right on some.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Yeah, I remember Reverse being down and right on some.

There’s down and left in some older Camaros, and a shift collar on older Subarus and a few other makes.

To add further complexity, some reverse gears require you to push down on the knob (like this 356) and others (BMW) are straight over, with no downward motion required.

and then there's column shifting. doing that on a right hand drive overseas was fun.

quote:

Originally posted by f2:
and then there's column shifting. doing that on a right hand drive overseas was fun.

I learned in an old ranch truck with a “three on a tree”. The driving I did in the UK (in an old Morris 1300 I had and a few rentals) all involved floor (or console) shifts though.

quote:

Originally posted by f2:
and then there's column shifting. doing that on a right hand drive overseas was fun.

Drove a truck like that in Afghanistan. It wasn't very fun.

I consider the manual transmission a theft deterrent. Not too many of the younger set have a clue as to how to drive one. Probably even fewer of the thug set.

I've had the experience of service centers having to page the store for a "tech" who could drive a stick when servicing my Taco. I insisted my daughters learn to drive a manual transmission. It worked out well, my oldest used to drive an old surplus deuce and a half on her first real job.

The concept is hard for many to understand. Many, many years ago (1971) I purchased a Kawasaki 90 for my wife. My sister learned to drive on a 3 speed Mustang V8 with unassisted clutch & my Triumph TR4A when I was wearing Army green. My wife had only driven an automatic. My sister was riding the motorcycle with ease in a few minutes. It took my wife days to learn the concept of a clutch & gears.

My first "car" was a '66 Dodge van with three on the three. What a clunky shifter! Sometimes I had to crawl under the side and kick the linkages to unstick them.

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:
Really?

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ocC8MueSs_A" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

I had a friend with a ‘69 Chevelle SS. He yanked out the already strong engine and essentially made it a Pro Street type car. He had one of those Hurst Straight-Line Shifters in it. The neutral gate is heavily spring loaded such that the shift from 2nd to 3rd is just “slam it forward.” That car was scary fast.

Once I had a 1960's Mercedes 190 diesel with a 4-Speed Column Shift. That wasn't something you saw every day.

Back in the day we also had a number of Korean-War military surplus trucks we used in our business on the beaches of the Outer Banks. All of them required double-clutching (or the "double-shuffle").
Great learning experiences... I often miss clutches.

 
I took my driving test for my license in TX in 1960, in a 1957 DeSoto with three on the tree. It was the actually the same car we had used in the driver's ed class. I have always owned manuals since then. Probably would need instructions on how to operate an automatic.
 

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:
Really?


[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ocC8MueSs_A" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

Love how he flaps his elbow going into and during 2nd. He's flying. The cigarillo is icing on the cake.

My favorites to master were the 4 on the column Saab 95 and, of course, the old Land Rover with the super tight spacing between gears and non-synchro R, 1 & 2.