Useless Trivia of the Day w/quiz!

Today I learned that the 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass could be had with a 3-, 4-, or 5-speed manual transmission.

I thought about that for a moment, and I can't think of any other cars that offered all 3 choices.

Maybe you could count the '76 Chevy Vega, which could be had with 3- or 4-speeds with the regular engine, and a 5-speed in the Cosworth.

Trucks don't count. Because those are my rules.

Any others?

edit for clarity: I'm looking for same year, same chassis. with 3-, 4-, or 5-speed manual transmissions. Can be with different engines.

Ae101 corolla came with a 3 or 4 speed auto, 5 speed or 6 speed manual. Though, the 6speed never made it to the us, showing up on the supercharged 4ag wagon in Japan. Thats what i got.

mndsm wrote: Ae101 corolla came with a 3 or 4 speed auto, 5 speed or 6 speed manual. Though, the 6speed never made it to the us, showing up on the supercharged 4ag wagon in Japan. Thats what i got.

Interesting stuff, but I'm looking for cars with 3 or 4 or 5-speed manual transmissions.

82-86 Toyota Tercel could be had with a 4, 5, or 6 speed stick, the 6 speed being a granny low box in the 4wd model.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Not strictly true to the original request, but I'll accept it because it's still a 3-gear spread. :)

I'm pretty sure that the award for Best Selling Car in the US for 1979 went to the Cutlass. So many configurations available may have been a reason why.

If it weren't for the same chassis rule, the late 80s-early 90s Honda Civic could qualify. Base/DX model had a 4-spd, Si had a 5-spd and the AWD wagon had granny-geared 6-spd.

The bigger question is: Why in the name of trees was GM still making a 3-speed manual in 1979?

Duke wrote: The bigger question is: *Why in the name of trees was GM still making a 3-speed manual in 1979?*

I theorize they offered it as standard so they could up charge for the automatic, which everybody ordered. I'd love to know the take rates for manual of any flavor in 1979. I imagine it was a tiny percentage of sales.

I tried to get my parents to buy a '79 Monte Carlo with the 4 speed manual. They bought a VW caddy instead.

Duke wrote: The bigger question is: *Why in the name of trees was GM still making a 3-speed manual in 1979?*

You think 1979 is bad? While the 3-speed was in cars through 1980, you could still get the Saginaw 3-speed in a C10 pickup until 1987, for Pete's sake!

Why? Because they were cheap.

Jeeps?

In reply to wvumtnbkr:

Wikipedia says you could get 3, 4, or 5 in a CJ-7, but not at the same time, the 3 speed was discontinued before the 5 speed T5 was introduced.

EvanR wrote:

Duke wrote: The bigger question is: *Why in the name of trees was GM still making a 3-speed manual in 1979?*

You think 1979 is bad? While the 3-speed was in cars through 1980, you could still get the Saginaw 3-speed in a C10 pickup until 1987, for Pete's sake! Why? Because they were cheap.

I know at least until 1980 the C10 was a column shift 3 speed, although many had a hurst floor shifter installed when the columns got sloppy.

I wonder if the Olds was column shift for the 3sp, and floor shifter for the 4 and 5 speed?

A column shift would leave more passenger room along with potential cost benefits. The passenger space may have been enough to keep the take rate sufficient to offer it.

jstand wrote: I wonder if the Olds was column shift for the 3sp, and floor shifter for the 4 and 5 speed?

I've never seen a '78+ A-body with a column shift, but I've driven a few with floor-shifted 3-speeds - at least two of which were El Caminos.

Can we count factory overdrive cars? In a 3 speed OD you typically get 5 gears (1, 2, 2OD, 3, 3OD), if that's acceptable tons of 60s cars apply.

I see your 3,4, and 5 speed gearboxes, and I raise you whatever the hell you call this.