Few things are more satisfying than driving a four-speed muscle car

By Thomas A. DeMauro - Oct 08, 2020

Photograph by the author.

Photograph by the author.

 

My appreciation for floor-shift manual trans cars and the respect for those who’ve mastered driving them began with me being mesmerized by watching my dad shift through the gears of the Muncie four-speed via its white-ball-topped Hurst stick in our 1965 Tri-Power GTO. Though I was very young at the time, one day I asked about what he was doing. He explained it to me succinctly, mostly focusing on how much fun it was. Like I said, I was young.
 
As I grew older and started to get into cars more in the early 1980s, we no longer had a manual transmission example in the family, but I was reading enthusiast magazines by then and learning all about the powertrains that were available during the muscle car era. Discovering the vintage GTO ads of the mid-1960s and the Hurst shifter ads of the period only reinforced my desire to get a four-speed car, as all that hand, eye, and foot coordination required to work the clutch in concert with shifting gears still intrigued me.
 
 
 
I know this ad is in French so it's not easy to understand unless you know the language, but I included it because, along with showing a 1965 GTO, it also includes a rendering depicting the four-speed option. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
I know this ad is in French so it's not easy to understand unless you know the language, but I included it because, along with showing a 1965 GTO, it also includes a rendering depicting the four-speed option. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
 
 
 
When I finally got my license in the mid-1980s, my first car was a 1967 Chevelle SS 396 with a four-speed, which was awe-inspiring to drive (once it was driveable). Later, I owned a 1969 Judge that also had a stick. (I bought a few automatic trans muscle cars over the years, as well, because they were too good to pass up despite their lack of a four-speed.)

In the early 1990s, my 1977 Trans Am was my daily driver. Not too long after I got it, I located and purchased all the parts to convert it to a four-speed. The transformation in the Bird’s character was nothing short of miraculous for me. Trans Ams are always exciting to drive, but swapping in that manual transmission, clutch, pedal setup, bellhousing, Hurst shifter, and other parts provided a whole new level of interaction with the Pontiac, as well as a greater sense of control over how it behaved.
 
I know that automatics can be shifted manually as well, and some shifters like the ones that came stock in T/As, as well as the Hurst Dual Gate and many others are designed to make manually shifting an automatic even easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Though these types could add considerably to the driving experience in my 1967 GTO and 1973 Hurst/Olds (back when they were driveable), they still don't compare with that of the manual transmission.
 
 
 
You may have seen this ad many times before, and that’s because it’s legendary. It illustrates different aspects of the 1964 GTO driving experience in an adrenaline-fueled manner and made me want a four-speed muscle car even more back when I first discovered it. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
You may have seen this ad many times before, and that’s because it’s legendary. It illustrates different aspects of the 1964 GTO driving experience in an adrenaline-fueled manner and made me want a four-speed muscle car even more back when I first discovered it. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
 
 

After the swap, popping the T/A's clutch and spinning the tires became a new pastime. Winding out its 400 on backroads and gliding through the gears was now a daily ritual while driving to and from college and work, with more cruising on the weekends when I could afford the gas money.
 
Upon getting my first job in the automotive publishing business, also in the early 1990s, I was even able to periodically get the T/A to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, for drag strip and suspension testing to write articles. Learning how to powershift the Pontiac to lower its quarter-mile ETs without hurting it was another rite of passage that proved highly satisfying even though it was still a mild street car.
 
In 2008, when I found the 1967 Buick GS400 that I currently own, I was surprised and pleased to see that it, too, had a four-speed. I had to have the car for many reasons, but its Hurst shifter (non-stock in this case) and vintage white ball on top of it brought back a flood of happy memories.
 
 
 
This humorous Hurst ad extolled the virtues of its lifetime guarantee. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
This humorous Hurst ad extolled the virtues of its lifetime guarantee. Photograph courtesy Automotive History Preservation Society.
 
 

Not too long ago, following a ride in the Buick, my teenage son, Tommy, who is currently daily driving a 1988 Camaro with a 305 and an automatic, asked me why I like driving four-speed manual trans cars?

I thought of my dad answering my similar question decades before. My take is that a floor-shift manual trans car offers a much more tactile driving experience than one with an automatic due to the required clutch action and having to physically shift to each gear, not to mention the driveline vibrations that emanate up through the shifter handle and into your hand, and even the heat that rises up through the shifter boot in some cars. Though it takes more concentration to drive a manual trans car, with some practice the procedure becomes second nature, and you can just do it without even thinking about it too much if you so choose.
 
Nevertheless, like so many desirable automotive activities, simply highlighting the pleasures of shifting gears for yourself to someone who hasn’t tried it doesn’t really convey how exhilarating it can be. That's why I'm planning to situate Tommy in the Buick's driver's seat in the near future for a few lessons on how to drive a four-speed car.
 
 
SOURCE: HEMMINGS