The problem of not being able to drive a car with a manual gearbox has only gotten worse with years. Most cars that cost over $30,000 come standard with a CVT or a 6-speed automatic.
Besides that, today's youths are more preoccupied with their WOW or LOL ranking than getting the right balance between the throttle and the clutch.
But there are a few of us out there who don't want to give up on the third pedal, and they all have a thing or two to learn from a professional driver.
As Jalopnik put it, "it's the given that every human has a soul-demanding right to know how to drive a manual transmission, and it’s one of the greatest problems facing mankind today (no exaggeration -- ISIS wouldn’t even exist if everyone knew what a clutch did). It’s unbearable that so many people still don’t know how."
Would you learn how to drive stick to impress a guy?
Three volunteers answered the call when the publication wanted to teach the art of the manual. Their reasons for wanting to learn are as varied as they are hilarious. One person wants to know how to handle a clutch because she's afraid she won't be able to run from a murderer otherwise, while another want to impress guys.
You've got to love a girl who wants to go that extra mile and learn something us guys care about. It gives you the idea that there is still hope left for this world, even if it lies with a redhead that likes Fiat.
Speaking of which, the car chosen for this test is among the weirdest and cutest. It's the Fiat 500 Abarth, equipped with a 1.4-liter engine making 160 horsepower for the front wheels. This is among the smallest vehicles you can buy in America and yet it costs anywhere from $22,500.
Getting back to the video, we don't want to seem bitter about any of this, but none of these folks really learned how to use a manual gearbox. They just learned how to move forwards and backwards in a car with a clutch, but they need another month of practicing every day before they should be let loose on the road.
Editor's note: Here's the Instagram of Kathryn McGinnis, the girl who wants to impress guys with her stick shifting. You're welcome!
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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