paS2K

Kathy also learned on a VW bug....early 60's vintage. I taught her with most of the hill practice in a nearby small cemetery

Her father bought the car for her in summer of 67 so that she could drive from their rural house into city of Harrisburg Peeay where she worked as a newly minted RN. I guess it was re-sold in the fall b/c she moved to Philly to attend Univ of Peeay for a BSN.

paS2K

I learned in 1962 on my Dad's 1960 Dodge Dart....3 on the tree. As Tim noted, the linkage would sometimes get hung up, so I learned how to get under the hood and pop it back in position.

Somewhat unusual for the era, my Dad also had a 1963 Dodge 330 with a 318 v-8 and 3 on the tree. He wimped out in 1966 with a Dodge 440 2dr htop but then went back to a 1969 Pontiac Tempest with a 350 v-8 and 3 on the tree. After this, I was on my own and rarely drove his cars, but he drove stick shift until he was pretty elderly.

valentine

I learned stick on the floor in a 67 VW Beetle (red) and I learned on the column in a '64 chevy (dark gray). Until someone mentioned gears on the column I'd forgotten they even made them.

Lainey

We also had to know how to parallel park. Not used all that much these days.

I don't remember if I was tested on the parallel parking thing, but I know my son failed his road test for his license the first time because of an error while parallel parking. We practiced parallel parking until the cows came home and he got his license the second time up.

BTW, in our state, back in the old days if you took the drivers' test on a standard transmission, you could legally drive either a standard transmission automobile or one with an automatic transmission. If you took the test on an automatic, you were not supposed to drive a standard transmission until you passed another road test administered by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

dlq04

When I took my test they were impressed if you had a car that ran; they didn't care what trans it had.

Wildncrazy

I learned on a 62 Plymouth station wagon - in the field in front of the house. I drove around in circles for days just starting and stopping.

Took my first drivers ed class and my mom let me drive home. I was OK until I turned into the driveway that lead up to the house (we were in the country) I hadn't learned to let the steering wheel slip thru your hands after a turn to straighten up. I couldn't unwind the wheel as fast as the car was going and I took out 3 fence posts and quite a bit of barbed wire.

Today I cringe to think of how I managed my first stop on a hill at a light. I am surprised there was any clutch left!!

I do have a neckers knob on my John Deere tractor. Works great. Well not for necking but for giving that thing "power steering."

plantpixie

My Mother learned to drive a standard shift in a British green Morris Minor. We lived in the Midwest with a nasty hill before a popular bridge.My sister and I were toddlers and it was the first time we had ever heard her curse!

paS2K

Did you have to know how to work the crank, Dave?

plantpixie

Our Morris Minor had a crank.

Conedodger

I learned on an AMC Ambassador 4 door.

My Dad drove me up the street and back to show me how. We traded seats and I drove up the street and back. He got out, said "have fun," and went in to watch the football game.

The car was an olive drab green ex-Army car. 3 on the tree, manual brakes and steering. High beam switch and foot operated windshield washer pump on the floor. It was a treat rounding a corner in the winter, dimming the brights, washing the salt spray off the windshield and shifting all at once!