15 cool classics with column gearshifts

Split shifts

Most of the people reading this piece will have grown up changing gear in the time-honoured fashion of stirring a lever on a transmission tunnel between the front seats. It’s just the done thing.

However, it wasn’t always that way. Back in the day many cars had the gearshift mounted on the steering column, and ‘three on the tree’ was more common than the ‘four on the floor’ we’ve subsequently moved to.

Why? Well, not only was it closer to hand, but also bench front seats were more common, and the absence of a floor-mounted gearshift allowed for a third front-seat occupant. Yup, safety wasn’t quite the consideration it is today, with a ‘friendly’ motoring experience proving more important to many.

Let’s take a look at 15 classic cars with steering-column-mounted gearshifts.

1. Saab 96 V4 (1960-’80)

Despite all the success in rallying, the Saab 96 was, incredibly, the subject of an internal coup at Saab.

You see, when it was launched in 1960 it had a three-cylinder two-stroke engine. This continued until 1967.

However, before then, engineers recognised that forthcoming emissions rules meant a four-stroke engine was needed, but this was vetoed by then-CEO Tryggve Holm.

Saab 96 V4 (cont.)

So, engineer Rolf Melide went to Saab’s major stockholder Marcus Wallenberg and got approval for the four-stroke project.

After a few months of testing, Ford’s 64bhp V4 engine was selected. And so, preparation for the new car began in earnest, but amazingly, just five months before production began, only seven people knew about it. And the boss wasn’t one of them.

2. Simca Aronde P60 (1958-’64)

In effect, the P60 was the Aronde Mk3, although the main part of its body remained the same as the original 1951 Simca 9 Aronde. But now the car had modern-looking tailfins and a completely restyled front end.

Little had changed underneath the car either, so the column-mounted gearshift remained present and correct, although the French company did offer the car with a ‘Simcamatic’ automatic clutch.

Simca Aronde P60 (cont.)

However, Simca also took the opportunity to offer a great many different versions of the model, with varying standards of luxury and a range of power outputs from the engines.

So, if you were a frugal sort, you could have a P60 Élysée with 48bhp, but if you were a bit more of a go-getter, the P60 Montlhéry with its prodigious 57bhp and the option of leather upholstery was more likely to be your bag.

3. Jowett Javelin (1947-’53)

Back in the middle of the 1940s, Jowett cars were known for being… worthy. They would get you from here to there with little fuss, but also little to make the trip memorable.

Then in 1947 the company launched the executive Javelin, which was a huge leap forward in styling and luxury.

For a start, it could carry six people (three in the front being made possible by the absence of a floor-mounted gearshift).

Jowett Javelin (cont.)

Better still, the performance from the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine was better than many had expected, and the car could crack 80mph, given a long enough straight.

It was quite the performer, because a Javelin won its class in the 1949 Monte-Carlo Rally, and that same year a Javelin took class honours in the Spa 24-hour race, so the column-mounted gearshift can’t have been that bad.

4. Vauxhall Cresta (1954-’57)

The Vauxhall Cresta wasn’t exactly a new car when it was launched in 1954. In fact, it was more of a super-luxurious version of the Vauxhall Velox, which had been around since 1951.

Under the bonnet lay the same 2.3-litre straight-six motor as the Velox, but the Cresta enticed buyers into shelling out a few extra pounds, shillings and pence by offering the option of leather upholstery, a heater as standard, and a dashboard-mounted clock. Buyers also got the option of a radio.

Vauxhall Cresta (cont.)

Facelifted cars appeared in 1955, complete with wind-up windows and windscreen washers. And then there was a subsequent facelift again in 1956, when the cam-driven windscreen wipers were replaced by electric affairs.

If you could afford all of this, you truly were on the Cresta of a wave.

5. Ford Zephyr (1951-’56)

The Ford Zephyr was quite the pioneer.

For a start, it was the first monocoque Ford, and it also had MacPherson strut front suspension and hydraulic brakes. Back when it was launched, this was big news.

Obviously, it wasn’t all cutting-edge, because it still sported a column-mounted three-speed ‘three on the tree’ gearshift, which was okay as long as you didn’t rush it, according to road tests.

Ford Zephyr (cont.)

Up front was a 2.3-litre straight-six engine that developed a heady 68bhp, but which was very easily tuned for more oomph.

The Zephyr Six even has competition pedigree, because it won the 1953 Monte-Carlo Rally and the 1955 East African Rally, both of which would have entailed plenty of shifting of the column-mounted gearlever.

6. Standard Vanguard Sportsman (1956-’60)

When is a Triumph not a Triumph? When it’s a Standard. That’s the case with the Standard Vanguard Sportsman, which was originally slated to be a Triumph Renown, since the Standard company had bought the remnants of the Triumph brand in 1944.

Whatever the name, the car was quite punchy, because it had a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that used twin SU carburettors to produce 90bhp, which meant it could even breach the 90mph barrier.

Standard Vanguard Sportsman (cont.)

Other performance upgrades included larger drum brakes and a lower final-drive ratio, to give better acceleration.

Unfortunately, the Vanguard Sportsman sold like cold cakes, and fewer than 1000 were ever made before it was quietly killed off.

7. Austin A90 Six Westminster (1954-’56)

If a car is going to have the word ‘Westminster’ in its name, it’s going to have to be pretty luxurious. And so the Austin A90 was, with a standard heater on Deluxe versions (although not Standard models), and a 2.6-litre straight-six engine up front.

It also had a four-speed manual transmission that was operated through a column-mounted lever, although in 1955 Austin also put together a car they hoped to sell to the police, and it had a floor-mounted gearshift.

Austin A90 Six Westminster (cont.)

There were two front seats that were so wide and close together that they, in effect, constituted a three-person bench, although the centre occupant had to straddle the transmission tunnel, which wasn’t exactly the last word in comfort.

We’d be willing to bet the driver would have inadvertently kicked them every time they operated the clutch to change gear, too.

8. Hillman Minx (1948-’56)

Back when launched, the Hillman Minx was the equivalent of the Ford Cortina of the 1970s and the Vauxhall Cavalier of the 1980s, because it was the comparatively affordable four-door saloon aimed at families. However, excitement was well and truly off the menu.

No wonder, because under the bonnet lies a 1.3-litre four-cylinder motor that produces a somewhat lackadaisical 37.5bhp. If you wanted to get anywhere on time, you might think you’d have to leave early. Like the day before.

Hillman Minx (cont.)

But in reality that wasn’t the case, because it was actually a peppy engine that was quite happy to cruise along at 50mph.

On top of that, 32mpg (as tested at the time) wasn’t to be sniffed at. See? Comparatively affordable.

Having said that, you still had to shell out for desirable options – a radio was an extra £36 in 1949, and the cost of being warm inside the cabin was an additional £18. Ouch.

9. Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet (1956-’59)

The Mercedes-Benz 220 was, in essence, a lengthened version of the 180 ‘Ponton’ saloon that had been on sale since 1953.

However, the wheelbase was lengthened by a full 17cm, most of which was used to accommodate the increase from the 1.8- and 1.9-litre four-cylinder engines of the 180, to the silky 2.2-litre straight-six motors that appeared in the 220.

In ’56, Mercedes also released a luxurious drop-top version, and some examples even had fold-down rear seats to accommodate extra luggage for those jaunts to Lake Como and suchlike.

Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet (cont.)

The 220S models also featured a 99bhp version of this engine, so were able to hustle when required.

The cars used a four-speed column-mounted manual transmission with the option of, oddly, a Hydrak automatic clutch, which used hydraulics and microswitches to disengage and re-engage the clutch. Witchcraft for the day.

However, maintenance costs persuaded many owners to swap the Hydrak unit for a conventional manual clutch.

10. Wolseley 6/80 (1948-’54)

When launched, the 6/80 was the company’s flagship, and was quite the imposing machine.

It provided a sparkle of luxury when the country was still going through the drudgery of post-war rationing.

If that tall grille and wide stance came up behind you, you were all too aware that there was someone important at the wheel, be it a solicitor, doctor or perhaps even the chief constable.

Wolseley 6/80 (cont.)

And the car was quite likely to catch you up, because under the bonnet was a 2.2-litre straight-six that produced no less than 72bhp.

Talking of the long arm of the law, the 6/80 proved extremely popular with the ‘rozzers’, so much so that it was still in service with the Metropolitan Police until the middle of the 1960s.

11. Ford F100 (1967-’72)

It’s a classic image, from the 1960s and 1970s – that of three people sitting across the cabin of a Ford F100 pick-up.

But it wouldn’t have been possible if there had been a floor-mounted stick-shift to work around.

And that’s at least partly why Ford’s working vehicle stuck with a column-mounted shifter, at a time when many other car and truck makers were moving to the ‘four-on-the-floor’ format.

Ford F100 (cont.)

The fifth-generation truck was based on the same underpinnings as its predecessor (which would also be used in the sixth-generation truck), but featured a larger cab, bigger load bay and plusher trims.

Indeed, this version also heralded the introduction of the Ranger trim level, which continues to this day in the 14th-generation version.

12. Humber Super Snipe (1952-’58)

If ever a British car from the early 1950s can qualify for the term ‘barge’, then the Humber Super Snipe MkIV is that car.

And that’s using the word ‘barge’ in its most complimentary fashion, to signify a car that makes every journey seem effortless, while you glance out at the hoi polloi from surroundings of relative grandeur.

So how did it make every journey seem so devoid of struggle?

Humber Super Snipe (cont.)

It did so using no less than 4.1 litres of straight-six creaminess (we’ll gloss over the fact that the engine was also used in a Commer truck).

Its 113bhp was more than enough to be going on with, although an average of 14mpg meant you never got to enjoy the luxury of this ‘poor man’s Bentley’ for too long before you had to stop for another top-up.

That explains Humber adding the option of an overdrive in 1955.

13. Morris Oxford MO (1948-’54)

Just as car manufacturers these days employ the ‘Russian doll’ approach to the styling of their ranges (yes, we’re looking at you, Audi and BMW), so did Morris back at the end of the 1940s.

At the bottom of the range was the enduringly popular Minor, and at the other end was the Morris Six MS, while in the middle resided this, the Morris Oxford MO.

You could stare at all three and swear the Oxford MO and Six MS were the same car but just a bit closer, because they were bigger.

Morris Oxford MO (cont.)

The Oxford MO was designed by Alec Issigonis, who would go on to come up with a car called the Mini that nobody really remembers. Ahem.

The Morris Oxford MO was truly contemporary, because it featured a 1.5-litre sidevalve four-cylinder engine, plus torsion-bar front suspension and a cool American-style column-mounted gearshift.

Still, the Oxford MO was pensioned off by 1954, while the Minor continued (in various forms) until 1971.

14. Jaguar MkVII (1951-’56)

You might look at the Jaguar MkVII and conclude there wasn’t much that was new about it. After all, it used the chassis that had first seen the light of day in the Jaguar MkV of 1948.

However, under the bonnet lay the brand’s 160bhp 3.4-litre straight-six XK engine, linked to a four-speed manual gearbox with floor-mounted shift lever. A column-mounted selector came along in 1952, with the advent of the automatic transmission.

The car’s top speed was claimed to be beyond the 100mph mark. Space, grace and pace indeed.

Jaguar MkVII (cont.)

That pace became even greater in 1954, when a 190bhp version of the same engine was released in the MkVIIM model.

In the end, the MkVII proved far more popular than even Jaguar hoped, and prompted the company to move to larger premises in Browns Lane, Coventry, where it would remain until 2005.

15. Cadillac Eldorado (1971-’78)

Yes, emissions legislation was looming, and yes, a fuel crisis was just around the corner, but when Cadillac launched the Eldorado in 1971, it was still in full-on land-yacht mode.

As such, this ninth-generation car was another 6cm longer than its predecessor, at almost 5.7 metres from front to rear.

And, of course, there was a V8 up front, an 8.2-litre one. Driving the front wheels. Just as well it only produced around 235bhp.

Cadillac Eldorado (cont.)

Still, the three-speed automatic transmission was operated through a column-mounted selector, which meant a front bench seat was possible, so the big Caddy was designed to take six people across the US in utter comfort.

However, it also did around 11mpg, so, in reality they’d have been forced to stop for fuel far too often.