What’s the Best Shifter You’ve Experienced?
This week’s question in Hagerty’s Our Two Cents series is a feel-good affair all the way around. Many (all?) of us have enjoyed the mechanical, analog thrill of shifting a manual transmission, or maybe a direct sequential gearbox, with those mechanically perfect aluminum paddles found behind the tiller of a modern Ferrari. But a feel-good affair isn’t exclusive to exotics—quite the contrary, in fact!
I enjoy the heft of that Hurst shifter in a 5.0 Mustang, I revel in the excitement of a Pistol Grip in an E-body Mopar, and I never tire of Honda’s shifters back in the 1990s. But there could be more to this question, if you take a pause for the cause. That cause is the automatic transmission. Here are three examples of amazing autobox shifters, from newest to oldest.
That’s right, some automatics tell your fortune are controlled by crystal balls. This design by Genesis is admittedly a little cheesey, but these days, that added drama is what helps differentiate luxury cars from their (surprisingly luxurious) sister ships with cheaper asking prices. I know that tech-intensive vehicles aren’t what we normally think about ’round these parts of the automotive internet, so how about that cool AutoStick from Chrysler?
Then again, Chrysler automatics from this era might not bring up pleasant memories for some folks. But Autostick Chrysler LH cars were still a lot of fun when new. They personify the phrase “fun while it lasted.”
So let’s get to our final example, one that I hope will warm hearts and get y’all’s keyboards in gear for some long-distance typing. Because if there’s a king in the world of automatic shifters, well, it has to be the next one.
Hurst Lightning Rods are one of the coolest automatic shifters ever made. The three levers certainly look impressive, but seeing them in action is a whole ‘nother story. This has to be the best shifter of all time.
Or not? You tell us, Hagerty Community! What’s the best shifter you have experienced?
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Best (Tie): 981 Cayman GT4. It’s firm and mechanical, yet somehow also refined. Short throws. Hard to believe it runs on cables.
Best (Tie): Audi R8 4.2 6MT. The sound this thing makes — click-click! You find yourself shifting just to hear it.
2nd Best: FK8 Civic Type R LE. Direct, short, and light. The perfect match to a 4 cylinder FWD vehicle.
Honorable Mention: Porsche 944. The throws are long but the action feels perfectly balanced around the pivot and very mechanical, without ever feeling rough.
Honorable Mention: Bugeye WRX w/Factory Short Shift Kit. Notchy and rough around the edges, but very analog and mechanical. Lots of vibrations and feels. Quick, short action. A perfect match to the rest of the car.
Smoothest/Sexiest –The Hurst on my ’65 GTO. Never missed…
One that takes a while to love(?) — The 4+3 on my 86 ‘Vette Pace car. Once you’re “made peace” with the overdrive (that is shutting it off and using it as a fifth gear) it works fine. Flat out in fourth the OD will pop in automatically at 103 mph. That’s actually pretty invigorating.
The best I have ever felt was the 5-speed shifter in the base 2007 Cayman. Like a rifle bolt! Second best was my 1992 Miata, a thing of beauty!
Very much like the shifter on my Cadillac C T S-V, but also have enjoyed many others. Toyota Corolla had a great one. Additionally, while not a speed shifter, the most interesting of all for me was a Ford full size 2 ton truck with a 4 on the floor, plus a 2 speed rear axle, plus an additional 3 speed floor mounted “Brownie” . It would crawl like a turtle or fly. The fact that it had a T bird engine and straight pipes made it all the better.
In an automatic nothing beats a PORSCHE pdk in sport mode. Just always in the gear you want
In a standard,I have driven lots of nice hursts, but an ALFA is truely like a hot knife in butter
Stick shifter was the 5 speed Porsche 944.
Auto/ manual was the Jaguar J Gate found in many models.
Both worked smoothly and flawlessly, crisp shifts, no issues with missing a gear.
The best shifter I ever experienced was in my ’63 MGB. Accurate and short throw!
Not a good shifter, but a stiff clutch on a 1978 Olds Starfire V-6. The clutch was very heavy. It took a lot of muscle to push it in. It was attached to the transmixer via a cable routed through the firewall and a pulley on the outside of the firewall, then down to the transmixer. Metal fatigue finally resulted in the pulley breaking away from the firewall taking a baseball-sized portion of the firewall with it. Of course this happened during rush hour diagonally across town from my home (maybe 5 miles of navigating numerous stop lights and signs). I made it home without the clutch, but it wasn’t pretty.
The best shifter that I ever had was a very long lever that was attached to a 1937 Cad-La salle 3 speed that I installed in 3 different cars. The first one was a 1950 Ford coupe with a stock 1956 Olds engine for the street.
The second car was my 1932 five window coupe that I had a partner with to run A/G, that had a bored and stroked Olds of 396 c.i. engine. This same combination was then transfered to a B/D on a Scotty Fenn kit
dragster frame which we built with a stick welder and junkyard parts.
Best: ’83 Audi Coupe GT
Not Best: ’74 911 (915 transmission)
70 Challenger short pistol grip. Had to keep the gips tight or have those tell tale red marks on my right hand. I broke two of the clips holding the throwout fork in position. Loved power shifting that car
Volvo 1800s has a great shifter
The worst were old Saab 900s, finding 3rd was an adventure. Best borrowed car in college – no shortage in early ‘00s New England.
Best is the 1989 BMW 325i. Was amazing when I got my hands on it at 16 and better when I rebuilt the linkage a few years back.
Maybe not the best ever but I’ll never forget a Hurst Super Shifter III controlling a Top Loader 4spd in my 67 Mustang.
That first generation Hurst for the T5 in my 5.0 Mustang had that old school mechanical feel.
The stock Hurst in an SVO was nice too.
Best ever is an 18 speed Eaton/Fuller in a Pete, behind a 650 HP Cat…..poetry in hauling !