Help us reach our goal of teaching 500 drivers in 50 days how to drive a manual!
There’s nothing like driving a stick shift – feeling the gears change, connecting with the car and the road – and we’re on a mission to get more people experiencing that excitement.
It all starts on National Stick Shift Day (July 16). We’ll be kicking off the day at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, celebrating 10 years of the Hagerty Driving Experience (our program designed to teach young drivers how to operate a vehicle with a manual transmission)!
You can take part no matter where you are, anytime from July 16 – Sept. 3 - here's how:
Thank you for joining the fun - Never Stop Driving!
taught our youngest how to drive a 3 on the tree
Double trouble! Spent a great afternoon with my twin sons learning on the Audi TT. They’re now part of the three peddle nation.
National Stick Shift Day
Teaching my wife some three pedal driving with my Focus ST. Why should I have all the fun 🙂
My 18-year-old son is a proud owner of a 1964 Thunderbird. He wanted to make sure he could drive manual even though his Tbird doesn't have it.
Here's my daughter Sarah learning on the 1997 VW Cabrio. She's a quick learner and likes a challenge.
Sarah and Jason in the '97 Cabrio.
After an hour of teaching, my friend has learnt how to pull off smoothly, go from 1st to 2nd and back to 1st. Crawl forward as if in traffic and can do hill starts. She's excited about her next lesson where we might get onto the main roads!
Driving stick 1st time in a 2006 Z4
In 1982 my wife and I purchased a 1979 four-door Chevette from my sister, who had bought it new, using it for a daily work commute of about 60 miles. She didn’t like maintaining cars all that much, and so always bought a new one when the warranty ran out. By 1982 the warranty was up, and we got the “family discount” on the purchase. With a four-speed stick shift connected up to the bulletproof 1.6 litre "Iron Duke”, it was, apart from being slow, having very vague handling characteristics, getting poor gas mileage, noisy, slow, and a few other shortcomings, a very solid and dependable car. My wife had absolutely zero experience driving a stick shift; she had never even sat behind the wheel of a car that had one. There was a slight hill on the road outside our townhouse complex where we lived at the time, and we went out and I parked the car about 1/4 of the way up the hill. After explaining ad nauseam the intricacies of engaging the clutch, I then said to her that she had 10 tries to make it to the top of the hill without stalling…..The first forward motion was about 6 inches…stall. Then another 6 inches….stall. After about an hour, on stall number nine, I sensed a bit of hope, and sure enough she got it! And never looked back. That little ‘Vette” as we affectionately nicknamed it was our go-to around town car, with the (very) occasional highway trip. By 1992 it was time to upgrade, and so we got a branny new Ford Escort wagon with a 5 speed, then a 1995 Ford escort, 5-speed, then a ’99 Corolla which our son inherited and traded in 10 years later with 305k on the clock. Our latest “stick” which is registered in my wife’s name is a 2006 Honda Accord LX coupe which we were gifted in 2012 from our oldest daughter. It currently has about 320k on the odometer, and might possible need a new clutch soon. It is a sweet ride, and we cannot imagine not having at least one manual shift car in the family. All of our 4 children have learned to drive standards, and still enjoy the experience. So….it was a long time ago, but I did spend at least an hour “teaching” my wife the art of the stick shift.
The photo is of her behind the wheel of her Honda.
Introduced our daughter to my 2009 Z06 6 speed and my 1972 Corvette 4 speed. She laughed and enjoyed our time together. It brought our neighbors out to watch.
Taught my 16 year old granddaughter to drive my first gen RX-7 this past weekend. She was apprehensive at first but she did better than I thought she would. I may have created a convert!
She's on her way! (finally)
She is almost 16. Time to learn a stick
Teaching my son to drive my Model A
This is my friend (adopted nephew) Mark. His uncle Dan, my best friend, died and Mark inherited Dan's 1985 TransAM and a 1976 Corvette, both manual transmissions. I taught him in my Chevy Cruze. Yeah, I know, no seat belt in this photo. This is the sit-in-the-driveway-and-learn-the-controls portion of the training. He did fantastic and he can't wait to get his cars registered and on the road.
This is my son learning to drive stick on our 1989 GMC. We took this truck to my husband's senior prom because I loved it so much! It now spends its life as our plow truck.
Here's stepdaddy teaching stepdaughter to drive her first stick . . . she's so excited!!
Teaching my godson how to drive stick on my Chevy SSR.
Here is my and my kids babysitter, teaching her to drive a 5 speed in my 2000 Jeep TJ.
Teaching my better half to shift through gears!
16 year old daughter Lexi. First time driving a manual in our 2014 C7 Z51 Corvette. Next the '67 . . .1st time driving a manual - in our C7 Z51 'Vette
More important than clutches my daughter now understands car people and just may becoming on.
It's not fair that new cars do not roll back on a hill. Teaching son to drive. His first question was how to put the top down.
Just had this conversation with my daughter today. Our 2010 Accord that she's learning on doesn't have hill assist, so she's getting the "old school" experience.
Connor Bell first manual transmission experience in my 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra 5-speed! We both had a great time and he drove it home from our training parking lot!
I have been teaching my Son how to drive my old willys. He is doing doing well.
8/10, Here's my 16-year-old son learning in my '86 Mercedes. Even sporting complimenting plaid pants for the occasion. Great day.
3 pedals no problem! My daughter was motivated by the hat!
My poor clutch but it was fun trying to teach my 28 year old to shift my 3 speed 67 Mustang. I'm sure I'll recover in a couple of days from my whiplash.
Taught my daughter how to drive my Acura Integra GSR, which may be her first car next year! That poor little clutch! Fortunately this little Honda can take it 🙂
Have previously taught my two brothers and my wife how to drive a stick.
We spent some time learning in the JL with hopes of moving to the CJ next.
I’m a bit nervous! It’s a numbers matching 1970 Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack. Clutch is expensive but the Hagerty hat is priceless!
1978 MG Midget, teaching my nephew.
Teaching my wife how to drive a stick in our 2015 Polaris Slingshot
Stick shifting with my son! No this is not our classic, but it’s the only thing that we have with a manual transmission. A 2004 Nissan Frontier.
Great program. Keep the 3rd pedal alive. My daughter has always wanted a manual. Looking forward to receiving our 3 Pedals, No Problem swag.
Manual All The Way!!! Teaching my 16 year old n a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek!!! Matt
half the reason for buying a project car was to be able to teach my son how to drive a manual. He can’t drive on the street yet but that first hour just teaching him how to get rolling smoothly was awesome
My daughter Gabby just turned 1( on Aug 15. She obtained her TX temp driver’s license on same dt. She is learning to drive in an 05 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster w/a 6 speed manual tranny. Her 17 yr old brother learned when 15 in an 03 VW Passat w/a 5 speed manual tranny. Which I’ll try to get his pic in here too.
Mil Gracias from San Antonio, TX
I learned in a 65 truck w/a manual 3 speed on the column.
Our eldest, a new 3-pedal learner! This is our 17-year-old in the 2010 Accord. She looks pretty psyched to be developing this seriously cool life skill!
Success for Daughter-in-Law, Jasmine, in mastering driving the 99 Miata stick shift
Teaching my wife to drive my Bullitt and also my best friend! Always fun to teach someone to drive manual!
Here we are teaching my daughter to drive our 6 speed 2009 Mini Cooper S.
I taught his mom how to drive stick on my 1971 MGB last week but we thought that showing a photo of a young driver ( her son) who loves cars already was much more fun! Need to get them interested early!
I’ve been driving an older truck but when going to get another truck I knew I wanted a manual. Only problem is I had been practicing stick on my boyfriends 1950 Chevy drag car, not exactly learner friendly. My boyfriend and dad wanted me to be able to drive the new truck off the lot and so began my manual lessons this weekend in my Uncles old 4runner!
teaching my son to drive manual on Miata 95, he loves it.