Do you remember when you first learned how to drive stick shift? We sure do! It was a magical time, coupled with a moment of triumph when you realized that you could hop in and take off. Do you remember practicing at every stop, priding yourself on a flawless, smooth start? Do you remember how it felt while accelerating hard to throw it into 3^rd and feel the speed gather around you? The fact is, if you ever learned how to drive stick, you have experienced these sublime memories. Now, sadly, things are changing, and the third pedal is becoming a relic of the past.

The appearance of fast-changing paddle shifters in F1 racers was the first sign that the future of manual gearboxes was dwindling. Manual was always the choice of racers because of the superb amount of control it provided as well as the ability to modulate the clutch to bring around the back end of the car. Over the last 10 years technology has improved so much on manumatics, that manuals are now outclassed.

The virtues of stick shifts included, but certainly weren’t limited to:

· Improved performance

· Better gas mileage

· Driver engagement

· Extra gears

· Light weight

· Low cost

· Simplicity

· Multi-gear downshifts

· And it’s just plain fun!

The problem is that a computer can select a gear much faster than a human can depress the clutch, throw the stick in gear, and release the clutch. In a race where the winner will cross the finish line .08 seconds before the runner up, you can’t leave in human error.

The last nail in the coffin for stick-shift purists came last month when Ferrari announced it would no longer offer the 3^rd pedal. Lamborghini followed suit at the end of the month with the same announcement. If the most enjoyable cars to feel a visceral connection to are moving away from stick in lieu of better performance and efficiency in engineering, then the world will be a different place in just a matter of years.

Gone are the days of push starting a car with a bad starter or battery, and here are the days of men finding other rites of passage besides learning stick. It’s a sad time, but we must admit defeat for clutch-driver synergy.

One thing still brings joy to our souls – stick shift is still the chosen transmission by stunt drivers. Weigh in with your comments. How much longer do you think before the likes of Honda, Toyota, and Ford go the way of the paddle, and ditch the stick forever?

[A.J. Wilcox]

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