My uncle-in-law as an incentive to buy his Honda Civic when I turned 16.. which became my first car.

 

well, my girlfriends aunt gave her a saturn and i practiced on that by going to the store for milk and egg runs....... aced it in 2 weeks or so, when i bought my 2nd porsche it was stick and i practiced the fun of down shifting and burnout's with out pressing down on the brakes and pressing on the gas.....
when I was 17 i burnt out my moms transmission, she never knew it was me though.....what a jerk i was.....sorry mom or dad if you see this...

 

a very nice kind woman - at least 30 years older than me. Let me learn in a meadow with her land rover - put it in the middle of the meadow far from any fence switched seats and let me drive. Land rover was quite forgiving, although I don't remeber trying to downshift into first on that particular occaision. She was quite patient and there was nothing to run into. Other than the start and stop on hill bit - that lesson took care of it. Never been without a manual transmission ever since. If I ever have the good fortune of seeing her - I owe her and would like to say thank you.

 

50s something International pickup in cow pasture pulling a hay wagon sometime in the mid 60s

 

In the mid-1950s, as a boy, I worked for Dale Yacht Basin, Bay Head, NJ, my first real job. We had a tow motor to move the boats, cradles, engines, and really anything heavy around the yard. It had been WW II navy surplus probably from an aircraft carrier. It was a three speed floor shift, short wheelbase, small wheels and tires front, larger rear. It had a single seat, canvas covered and was open to the weather. It was massively overbuilt, fenders, an inch thick or more of cast iron were integrated into the frame/body. You could not damage that vehicle if you tried. Driving it was easy, just ease the clutch out and it crawled away in first. You could have moved a building with it. Do not remember any lesson, but somebody must have instructed, using it was part of the job. I was in the 8th or 9th grade.

 

my grandmother lol I was 10 in a 1982 suzuki samurai 4 speed. The car was bought for my mom brand new when she graduated high school, the car was then kept in storage and given to me so that I could go offroading around our farm

 

good friend in his 96 integra

 

My Dad....on a 1969 Rambler American

 

My Dad in his DD 1968 Volvo 144s, he demonstrated it was possible to rev it up to about 4,000 rpm & sidestep the clutch. I never realized until decades later that was for his benefit more than mine.

 

My Dad as well... 996 GT3.

 

My Dad, in a 63 VW Bug we brought back from Europe.

 

My Dad, when I was 10-11. Ford Escort.

 

I think riding dirtbikes must have taught me because the first time I drove stick I had no problem.

 

Learned on a 1929 Ford Model A when I was 15... Don't recommend it to others!

 

New 1929???