Mini is bringing back stick shifts and will teach you how to use them

On the column

“Three on the tree” was in my first car.

 

A lot of people can't even drive an automatic.

 

There are a lot of people on the road who couldnt drive a shopping cart. God forbid a car....and yet we give them licenses.

 

I love watching the 24 hours of lemons races and one of the punishments for the racers is they get pulled off the track and they pull a random blonde from the grandstands and the driver has to coach the chick driving a Manual, 100 yards , turn around and drive back without killing the engine , before they can return to the race .


My wife loves driving manuals , she hates automatics .
We met on a blind date and that’s one of the things that attracted me , she was driving a manual car .
she was cute , had a masters degree in mathematics , drove a five speed,
Was from a similar economic and family background as me , had similar religious political and financial opinions, no crazy and no drama. i was shopping for a ring a couple of weeks after we met. I wasn’t gonna let a catch like that get away.

28 years later, we are still together and she’s still driving a manual , she’s owned a string of cars , Chevrolets , Mitsubishis , Volkswagens etc , all with a clutch pedal, latest is a 2010 turbocharged mini 6 speed.

And holy smokes , that is the fastest car I’ve ever driven , I’ve driven muscle cars and corvettes and everything in between , and the turbo six speed mini is faster than any of them starting off or in a curve . Doesn’t look like it but it has plenty of room in the front , the back seat is just for looks , a human can’t fit in it .

 

Brave Search
LOTTA LINKS and FERRARI for '23, LE MANS!!

 

"3 on the Tree" was a lot more challenging when the 2 sticks came thru the floor because the linkages to the Column were twisted up (from binding ). Short Throw, Slow Go.

 

I learned to drive with my moms 66 beetle and my dads 63 Mercury comet that had a three on the tree
With manual trans , manual drum brakes and manual steering and no seat belts ,on rural Appalachian roads .
You didn’t have time to be distracted

driving was a full time concentration

 

I can see it now - Lots of Mini's for sale here at Joes Discount Mini !!

All in good shape, just need a clutch !

 

And it’s probably a super easy job to replace the clutch in a mini !

 

I was driving dad's truck around the yard before I learned to drive a manual car. He put the fear of God into me about not touching the go pedal until the clutch was fully released. Imagine my confusion when the car kept stalling. Once he told me you're supposed to use the throttle when taking off in the car it came pretty easy.