[95avblm3]

You could say the roots of my stick driving lay in a long gone '70 Datsun 240Z. When I was about 4, my uncle, while babysitting my brother and I told me I was big enough to help him shift. I remember riding on the transmission hump and getting to shift the stick as he operated the clutch. His girlfriend was riding shotgun and my brother was laying in the cargo area in the back. It was so much fun if not a little (or a lot) dangerous.

Later, at about 12, my brother taught me the finer points of clutch engagement in his '83 Accord when my folks weren't around... When my dad actually went to teach me how to "drive a stick" I kinda already had the basics down.

Still, I recall at 15 sitting at a stoplight with cars behind me and my left leg trembling... part nerves, part the weight of the cable clutch.