“You left your transmission back there. You’re not shifting right. This is a standard H,” says Julia Roberts to Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, as he grinds the gears on the Lotus Esprit.
That scene is becoming rare. Fewer than 7 percent of cars sold in the US have manual transmission, according to USA Today.
The torque pull and hum of the RPMs as you shift from second to third. Downshifting in the snow and letting the clutch prevent you from skidding. It’s not the same when the car is doing that work for you.
I learned to drive in Pennsylvania in my parents’ VW Beetle. A cranky five-speed combined with lots of wicked hills and a nervous 16 year old? Sheer terror.
Those driving lessons were about the only time in my childhood I remember cursing in front of my father and getting away with it. A left turn with oncoming traffic in a four-way intersection will do that to you.
A few years ago, my car was well into beater status when I spread the word it was for sale. A friend said it would be the perfect car for her college-age daughter. She found out it was a five-speed and. . . No Sale. Neither she nor her daughter knew how to drive a stick.
I’m fully prepared to keep my current 5-speed running well into the time when I teach my kids to drive. And if that comes with a few well-placed expletives from them, I’ll be fully prepared for that too.
I’m Wester Wuori, and that’s my Perspective.
