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Learning to Drive a Stick Shift – in a Corvette
When my husband suggested about 40 years ago that I learn to drive a stick shift in his car, I figured, no big deal. He made driving a stick shift look so easy. The fact that it was a ’64 Corvette, with an 11” racing clutch, 12” Indie tires on the rear with “radiused” wheel wells, 327 cubic inch, and 365 horse power didn’t faze me. (Of course, I had no idea what all that meant and I still don’t understand some of it to this day.) The fact that it sounded like a beast when it was running made me a little queasy, but what the heck: Jerry was very patient and it would be a new adventure.
Right.
First, you have to picture me in the driver’s seat. If you were behind the car, it looked like no one was driving. (Don’t even go there.) In order to reach the pedals, we moved the seat forward as far as it would go and I still needed a pillow behind me. Some of you folks are out there saying, wow, a Corvette, cool. No. It wasn’t. But I was still ready to learn.
So the next step was learning how to use the clutch and stick shift together. Okay. Actually, after stalling the car many, many times, I kind of got the hang of it. At least I didn’t grind the gears.
So I started to enjoy driving the beast. As long as I didn’t have to shift too often. Stop signs in quiet neighborhoods were no big deal. But traffic lights in busy intersections with impatient drivers — not so great. But I stuttered through with minimal horn honking behind me.
But then there were two major roadblocks to my newfound expertise: steep driveways and speed bumps. The driveway was at one of our favorite restaurants and was easy to enter, because I just let the car drift down. But feathering the clutch and slowly increasing the gas became my downfall when I tried to get up the driveway. I swear it was at a 90-degree angle! After stalling the car several times, and cars piling up behind me, we made a radical decision. I put the car in neutral, pulled on the emergency brake, and we both jumped out of the car and switched seats. Jerry rescued me from that cursed driveway. I’m not sure who was happier: me or the cars behind me. Jerry, bless his heart, did his best to try not to laugh.
The only other major difficulty was managing speed bumps. I had no idea how hard speed bumps would be! There was a quiet street with intermittent speed bumps in what used to be El Toro, CA (now Lake Forest). I don’t know how we ended up there; I suspect Jerry was suddenly overcome with evil intent and led me there. Naturally I couldn’t just power over the speed bumps or I would have destroyed the car. So I once again had to feather the blasted clutch, while slowly increasing the gas to move over them. By gosh, I was going to figure this one out! I can’t remember if I started to crack up with laughter or if I raged in frustration. But I finally figured out how to do it. Victory!
After that time I left almost all the ‘vette driving to Jerry. I’m just not a sports car person. I can say I’m very glad he taught me. When we eventually sold the Corvette and bought our first brand-new car, we bought a Toyota Corolla stick shift for me. I could have shifted that car with my baby finger after the 11” racing clutch. Nowadays Jerry has a 370 Z. It’s his baby, not mine.
Published in Group Writing
Yikes! Well done!
Glad you’re still with us to tell the tale, Barbara. OMG!
In that case you should enjoy this collection of Lucas Electric jokes:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~mtmorris/index3.html
Fun story! Corvettes have to be my favorite car ever. I’ll take a corvette over Italian nonsense any day :)
I actually leaned to drive mostly in my dad’s Mini Cooper S convertible. The car had horrible rear visibility.
However, even though it had a small turbo charged engine that had to be run at higher RPM, it was actually pretty forgiving. I don’t regret it at all!
Mine too! When they’re running at least.
Jerry asked me if I told people that the photo I used was not one of his Corvette. Then he said, anyone who knows cars would know those weren’t Indies-whatever on the back, anyway. Sure.
Yup! I loved my TR-4. I also loved working on it. And working on it. And working on it…
I remember at the time, there was a very noticeable difference in the engineering when comparing a German car to British car to an Italian car to an American car. The difference in approaches to solving the same problem could be pretty radical.
I had one stolen from me (1994 GMC pickup crew cab). It was found abandoned having been on fire. My theory was that the guy didn’t know how to shift gears, so he drove it high idle in first gear until it caught on fire. I had been leaving the keys in it for over 10 years.
I think it was more an act of vandalism, or maybe a joyride gone wrong, and not a for-profit theft.
After that, I bought a Ford F150, automatic. It was my first new (or non-used) vehicle. I had been driving manuals up to then. I loved manuals, now I don’t care either way. I do love it. It’s the first vehicle I have had with electric windows and an AM/FM that works. Ironically, I use the Bluetooth feature to listen to podcasts, not terrestrial radio.
And I don’t leave the keys in that vehicle.
This was the car that first bit me for my obsessive desire for a manual transmission. I owned one with the 4 speed British Laylock transmission, and when everything in the car was working right, it was the sweetest tactile joy one could find in the driving experience. The only other car I have driven that came close it the Mazda Miata, and it is Japan’s sincerest flattery that this was the experience they were trying to duplicate when the Miata took the world by storm 28 years ago (and is still essentially the same experience, just without the joy’s of British “reliability”)
One time I sprained my left ankle. I was still in college and on crutches. I got myself a temporary handicapped parking permit, and proceeded to drive my manual transmission pickup with one foot. Most pickups have enough torque at idle, so they’re not that difficult to get moving without using the accelerator. But using my right foot for clutch work took some getting used to.
Been there, done that. If you’re really patient, you can shift without the clutch, except from a start. I used to do that in my jeep, but you’re not going to win any races doing that.
Over the years I also learned to shift without a clutch. But learning means grinding gears, which can damage your transmission. I did it anyway.
Sprayed coffee on the keyboard laughing after reading just the first one. I’ve copied and filed that page. Thanks. They’re all a hoot!
Ah, the classics. Back when cars were classy. I am not old enough to have grown up with such cars, but I think they “feel” the best. A little more raw and less engineered. Gives them more distinctiveness and feel. It’s not just another perfect aerodynamic shape with interiors of molded plastic. Plus, it won’t hit the ground just because the pavement is uneven.
I like those gen 3 corvettes the best. Sure, modern cars are nicer, more convenient. But nothing beats a classic. Those curves just give it so much personality.
It’s funny too. One time I got to drive an old pickup that my grandpa had. It was from a time before power steering, but had been modified to put power steering on it. It was simple pickup, 4 speed manual transmission and was totally worn out. It was a beater, only kept around for the dirty jobs. It also had one of those old shift handles that came up from the floor and had so much longer of a throw than other the other manual I had driven.
It became one of my favorite experiences to practice on that older technology. Well, perhaps because I only had to drive it once ;) . Part of the reason though was that it was not built for power steering so you had to turn the wheel really far to get it to turn. That made it so when you did take corners, you could do so really smooth. It made it real fun to drive around the neighborhood practicing driving a stick.
More Lucas Electric jokes:
http://mez.co.uk/lucas.html
It’s really hard to damage the gears in a jeep. I wouldn’t do it in my Porsche.
My great grandpa loaned Joe Lucas, Prince of Darkness, fifty gold sovereigns to start his business. True story.
I remember you telling about that, but I don’t remember if it was in a post or not.
Another keeper. Thanks
Not car repair savvy as you, my TR7 was often in the shop. On the umteenth time, my boss asked, “Quick – what’s the difference between a pedestrian and a British car owner?”
She told me too, so it must have been.
I learned to drive a stick in my mother’s Opel Kadett. It was a fun car, and I don’t remember it having much, if any, trouble.
I still can’t get that Opel theme music from the old TV commercials out of my head. What an earworm!
It was a comment on a thread. For some reason, I think it was a anonymous post, but I’m not sure. I’ll try and find it, but don’t hold your breath #RicochetSearchFeatureIs[Redacted]
Indeed.
I could have sworn that you expanded on it in a post, though.
I’ll rue the day I have to succumb to driving an automatic!
When we were shopping to replace the wife’s totaled 2000 BMW 3 series sedan, her requirement was for another middling size 4 door for her car pool. At the time there were only four manufactures that offered that size car with a stick. I asked her if the
stickmanual was ahardmust have requirement, and she said “I am not that old” I want my manualboxtransmission. Eventually settled on a BMW 330i 2006 E90, and had to get the high zoot model to get a manual.Turned out to be a touchy subject.
I’ve heard that it is a control issue.
This conversation was part of our September Group Writing, the theme for which was Cars. In October, our theme is Cards, and you can sign up to write about any sort of cards right here. As I am writing this, we still do not have a volunteer for today, so if you have anything to say about cards, whether of the greeting or playing variety or that guy down the street who thinks he’s funny, I would appreciate your help.