How do you...

[bruiser]

Drive a stick shift?????


STRANGE NEWS
Manual transmission stymies Mass. car thievesPosted 8:04 a.m. yesterday


MORE ON THIS

The Springfield (Mass.) Republican (http://www.masslive.com/news/)


SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — A trio of would-be Massachusetts car thieves had to hit the brakes on their plan because none of them knew how to drive a stick.
Police in Springfield say the men pulled a knife on a food delivery driver Tuesday night and demanded the grub and his keys. But then they noticed the car had a manual transmission.
Sgt. John Delaney tells The Republican newspaper (http://bit.ly/1mahyod) the thieves argued among themselves then ran down the street with their ill-gotten dinner.
The driver was not seriously hurt. There have been no arrests.

[retread]

When I was in Mass, I was told that in order to drive a manual trans vehicle, you had to have an endorsement on your driver's license. That was in the early 60s.

john

[grumpybob]

Drive a stick shift?????


STRANGE NEWS
Manual transmission stymies Mass. car thieves

Posted 8:04 a.m. yesterday


MORE ON THIS



The Springfield (Mass.) Republican (http://www.masslive.com/news/)


SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — A trio of would-be Massachusetts car thieves had to hit the brakes on their plan because none of them knew how to drive a stick.
Police in Springfield say the men pulled a knife on a food delivery driver Tuesday night and demanded the grub and his keys. But then they noticed the car had a manual transmission.
Sgt. John Delaney tells The Republican newspaper (http://bit.ly/1mahyod) the thieves argued among themselves then ran down the street with their ill-gotten dinner.
The driver was not seriously hurt. There have been no arrests.



A lot of people around where I live can't drive a manual trans. these days. When I grew up on the farm we all drove tractors, so manual trans. were common. How times do change!!

[bruiser]

It used to be that automatic transmissions were an option and cost a bundle. Now manual trannies are and they cost a bundle. My dad taught me to drive on his 66 chevy C10 with three on the tree. I didn't drive an automatic until I had my first car which was a '61 BelAire. When I drove big trucks after high school I started out with a B61 Mack single with a two speed rear and ended with an Autocar twin with a 15 speed triplex.

[Bob Denman]

...'65 Toyot FJ40, with three on the tree here...:thumbup:

[Chupaca]

there are countries where your license states if you can drive a manual shift vehicle..if can drive a manual then you can drive both but if you are licensed to drive automatic thats all you can drive. Europe asia etc have more manuals...it is good to know for emergencies...:thumbup: Not robberies...:roflblack:

[Bob Denman]

To those robbers; it WAS an emergency! :shocked: :roflblack:

[ARtraveler]

A few sticks here. 66 Saab (4 on a tree), 68 VW Bug, 66 and 76 VW Vans, 78 Dodge pickup, 2001 Subaru Forester. I can still drive a stick, but don't miss it. :thumbup:

[Bob Denman]

:agree: "slushboxes" for me also. :thumbup: The Missus never learned... :opps:

[Xcarman]

I was told you could not get a f150 stick any more.

[Cavman]

I wish Toyota even offered a manual transmission on pickup with the V-8!

[NancysToy]

Reminds me of a trip a couple of years ago to Discount Tire. The store insisted on having their people drive my hotrod truck into the service bay. The young man went out, and sat there with a puzzled look on his face before he came into the lobby to ask "How do you start that thing?" I went out and showed him the starter button...standard equipment on a '53 Ford truck. He started it up, then just sat there. I went back to the truck and asked if there was a problem. "Where's first gear?" he asked. He could drive a stick shift, but had never seen a three-on-the-tree. When it came time to find reverse and back it out of the bay, he just came in and handed me the keys. :D

I think one of the toughest I ever drove was an old Hillman Minx with four-on-the-tree. That center slot was tricky to find. My cousin and I practiced on that car long before we got driver's licenses...driving it around the woods at my grandmother's cabin.

[bruiser]

Scotty, friend of mine in England had a car collection. He let me drive his Sunbeam Alpine series IV. Sweet little car. One of our pilots had a 1967 Alpine series V. He had it shipped back to the states when he rotated back.

[NancysToy]

Scotty, friend of mine in England had a car collection. He let me drive his Sunbeam Alpine series IV. Sweet little car. One of our pilots had a 1967 Alpine series V. He had it shipped back to the states when he rotated back.

I liked the Sunbeam Tiger. I was fortunate enought to drive one of those 260 V-8 sweethearts once.

[Wiredux]

I grew up with a manual trans. Father gave me a 79 Ford. Told me when I was able to drive it I could get my license. That paid off well for me. When I was in Okinawa I had a manual trans as well. Every tried to shift with your left hand and not your right?

[retired1]

[QUOTE=Wiredux;74. Every tried to shift with your left hand and not your right?[/QUOTE]

You betcha,! "Cruisin' the Loop" with my favorite "squeeze" in my new '61 Impala.:yes:

[NancysToy]

I grew up with a manual trans. Father gave me a 79 Ford. Told me when I was able to drive it I could get my license. That paid off well for me. When I was in Okinawa I had a manual trans as well. Every tried to shift with your left hand and not your right?

That's not uncommon if you have a girlfriend. Using your right foot for the clutch is more of a challenge. I did it after my knee surgery. Set the idle higher so it won't stall, then use the right foot for all three...gas, brake, and clutch. I longed for my old Chevy with the hand throttle about then.

[srwilli]

And when your arm was around your lady, you taught her how to shift for you... Hurray for the bench seat which allowed you to sit very close to one another... We got very good at..


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Pennyrick]

I think one of the toughest I ever drove was an old Hillman Minx with four-on-the-tree. That center slot was tricky to find. My cousin and I practiced on that car long before we got driver's licenses...driving it around the woods at my grandmother's cabin.


The first car we could afford to buy my wife (making us a two car family) was a '51 Hillman Minx.

It was a '51 Californian and was one of the very first hardtops that were made. (no pillar).

We lived in Winnipeg at the time and during the winter that four speed on the column was almost impossible to shift especially into reverse. The center slot got very, very small when the below zero temperatures made the transmission oil turn to molasses.

[bruiser]

I brake with my left foot. Something I learned driving emergency vehicles as a volunteer.

Dan, we rented a car in England and it had a manual. It was different shifting with the right hand. The transmission I had trouble with was on the C130. Reverse was a bear.

Scotty, I've seen the Tiger but didn't drive one. I bet that was fun. Didn't Carroll Shelby have a hand in that design?

[NancysToy]

I brake with my left foot. Something I learned driving emergency vehicles as a volunteer.
Hard to do with a standard transmission, though.


Scotty, I've seen the Tiger but didn't drive one. I bet that was fun. Didn't Carroll Shelby have a hand in that design?
Yep, he's the guilty party. Nice car, inspired me so much I threw a 283 Chevy into an Austin Healy Bugeyed Sprite.