And it’s a half past four and I’m shiftin’ gear

by Thom Yee

Baby Driver images courtesy of TriStar Pictures

So I drive stick.  I know it’s not a big deal and that it doesn’t really prove anything about me as a person, I know that paddle shifters are actually faster at shifting, and I know that, year over year, there are only going to be fewer cars with manual transmissions as an option, but still, there’s something about driving a stick that separates people like me from… well, from most of you.  Something important.  Call it a greater connection between man (or woman) and machine, call it the need for precision driving, call it a weird, overblown fixation that only the kinds of people you’d rather avoid in conversations would have, but there is a difference between driving a car and choosing when to shift and driving a car that automatically shifts for you (often at questionable times that never let you feel your car’s real power).  It’s not quite the difference between men and boys that motor (or “petrol”) heads would have you believe, but it is a point of distinction.  And if we’re being totally honest?  I’m usually just a little bit more attracted to a girl who drives stick. Continue reading →