When the first automobile was built, the tiny engine was connected directly to the driveshaft. It worked, but the Benz Patent Motorwagen offered a slow and jerky ride. The vehicle would lurch forward as soon as the single drive belt was engaged, and speed was slightly variable, depending on engine speed, but going even faster would damage the engine. Still, since the engine was so small, it was an acceptable compromise. Eventually, with the development of more powerful engines, multiple gear ratios were required, reducing the jerky takeoff and enabling higher speeds and even a reverse gear.

A manual transmission also known as a manual gearbox ; abbreviated as MT and sometimes called a standard transmission in Canada and the United Kingdom is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system , where gear changes require the driver to manually select the gears by operating a gear stick and clutch which is usually a foot pedal for cars or a hand lever for motorcycles. Early automobiles used sliding-mesh manual transmissions with up to three forward gear ratios. Since the s, constant-mesh manual transmissions have become increasingly commonplace and the number of forward ratios has increased to 5-speed and 6-speed manual transmissions for current vehicles. The alternative to a manual transmission is an automatic transmission ; common types of automatic transmissions are the hydraulic automatic transmission AT , and the continuously variable transmission CVT , whereas the automated manual transmission AMT and dual-clutch transmission DCT are internally similar to a conventional manual transmission, but are shifted automatically. Alternately, there are transmissions which facilitate manual clutch operation, but the driver's input is still required to manually change gears; namely semi-automatic transmissions. These systems are based on the design of a conventional manual transmission, with a gear shifter, and are mechanically similar to a conventional manual transmission, with the driver's control and input still required for manually changing gears like with a standard manual transmission , but the clutch system is completely automated , and the mechanical linkage for the clutch pedal is completely replaced by an actuator , servo , or solenoid and sensors , which operate the clutch system automatically, when the driver touches or moves the gearshift. This removes the need for a physical clutch pedal.

We've seen, in recent weeks, that tried-and-true transmission types take quite a while to disappear from new vehicles, even long after their supposed obsolescence. Americans could buy new cars with three-speed automatics until and with four-on-the-floor manuals until The three-speed column-shift manual transmission survived here through in new trucks and in new cars , but what about the floor -shifted three-speed manual? After much digging through reference books, factory brochures, EPA documents, et freakin' cetera, I have found the answer to that question. Since General Motors was the last holdout to sell new US-market cars with three-on-the-tree manual transmissions, it comes as no surprise that GM also sold the last three-on-the-floor cars here we're talking about cars , not trucks, remember; GM, Ford and Chrysler each sold trucks so equipped deeper into the s.

Not a MyNAP member yet? Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks. Figure 5. Integral to many automatic transmissions are hydraulic torque converters, which also provide significant torque multiplication under starting and low speed conditions.