In my younger years, I always preferred cars and trucks with manual transmissions. I learned to drive on a manual transmission, and always liked them; in a car, such as the ’65 Mustang I had for a while, there was nothing more fun that opening up the four-barrel on that 289, smoking off a line, and slamming through the gears. In a 4×4 truck, I always preferred a manual when off-roading, as it made it easier to ensure your motor was in its best power-band, keeping the RPMs right where you wanted them while climbing up a steep trail or fording a creek.
Manual transmissions have pretty much disappeared from American cars nowadays. But, in an interesting move, Ford Motors – my brand of choice – is bringing them back.
Ford has just filed a patent to bring back a classic driving experience – but only 18 percent of Americans would know how to use it.
The…
