The Messerschmitt KR200 looks as though it ought to have a pilot rather than a driver. Its two occupants sit one behind the other beneath a clear canopy, with the little engine tucked behind them. The
Open the door of a large American sedan from the 1950s and the front seat looks less like a modern cockpit than a particularly comfortable sofa. There is no center console dividing driver and passe
Press the accelerator hard in a conventional automatic car and its behavior follows a familiar rhythm. The engine climbs through the rev range, the transmission changes gear and the engine note drops
A driver can move between unfamiliar modern cars and still understand the transmission selector within seconds. Park sits at one end, followed by Reverse, Neutral and Drive. Lower ranges, manual modes
Neutral has a reassuring name. It sounds harmless, disconnected and mechanically impartial. Put the selector in N, release the parking brake and the car can roll. Surely that means it can also be towe
A dead battery is annoying in any parking space. It becomes considerably more awkward when the car is nose-first inside a garage and the tow truck needs it in Neutral. The brake pedal feels normal.
At some point, almost everybody driving an automatic transmission has glanced down at the gear selector and thought: “Okay, I know P, R, N, D... but what exactly is L supposed to be?”
While SUVs have become a staple of American roads over the past couple decades, very few new ones are still available with a manual gearbox. Truth is the manual isn't being sold as an option with
Manual transmissions are almost extinct in new cars — less than 1% of 2024 models came with a stick. And yet, for the few still holding the clutch, it’s more than just nostalgia. Driving s
Most people think dual-clutch transmissions showed up out of nowhere in the 2000s, right around the time paddle shifters went mainstream. In reality, the idea is a lot older — and the journey to