Column Mounted Shifters

[donaircooleone]

Most of the older LHD Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer vans had them (a lot of our customers with the 90's hymers generally) - quite good too! 5 Speed manual on the column, plus reverse.

[Jim AK]

Peugeot pickup, based on the 404?, had column shift. Used to drive one in my 1st job!

I remember it was blue & for some reason the reg is locked in my brain HLD 846T.

[mwstewart]

Crafty_ said:

What a wonderful dash!

[Slipperyfish]

My first car had one.



And it was as rubbish as it looked.

[rix]

Used to have one of these. Ours was an 02 but they sold until 2004 iirc. Must be one of the last cars sold over here with a column shifter. I actually quite liked it!

[Rumblestripe]

Only one I've ever driven was Toyota Hiace pickup and would have been in 1980 (I remember who I was working for at the time) it was a right pain to use. I recall wrestling it into a gear... any gear. Mind the thing was the company "nail" and roundly abused by anyone and everyone who worked there. Dreadful thing.

[DonkeyApple]

The Silver Shadow had one.

The current 7 series or the one just gone also has one.

Still unusual in the UK and most prevalent in cars for disabled people. But maybe that last bit is also true in the US.

[Who me ?]

T0nup said:

The Bedford Midi van had column shift. Albeit clunky, it was reliable enough once you got used to it.

Taxi firm round our way used the seven seat version, with a column change. Never gave any problems. I seem to remember that in the 60's Austins above A30/35 all had column changes and also the Morris equivalents. I never had any problems with column changes. Far better than the reverse H floor change fitted to Morris J2 type vans.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

750turbo said:

I remember the old Datsun Cabstar having one. (Unless I am really confused )






I should not remember st like this.

I drove a Nissan cabstar the day John Lennon was shot...that was 1980 & they still had column shifts then

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Slipperyfish said:

My first car had one.



And it was as rubbish as it looked.

Weren't they push me pull you on the dash rather than on the column? (I seem to remember)

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

[Slipperyfish]

Pretty much. Just a rod through the dash to a linkage & then to the box. It also had a pull on handbrake under the dash. It was a terrible, terrible car.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Slipperyfish said:

Pretty much. Just a rod through the dash to a linkage & then to the box. It also had a pull on handbrake under the dash. It was a terrible, terrible car.

See pic above

[V8forweekends]

As late as 2000, my rental car in the USA - Chevy Impala - 3.8 FWD auto. Had one, with a "bench" type seating arrangement actually a 1/3 2/3 spilt with a central lap belt. It was, as many have observed, in order to allow for a third front occupant.

I recall seeing MK2 Ford Cortinas in the scrappys with manual trans and column shifts - that would have been a four speed (plus reverse) box.

67-72 Ford Zephyrs and Zodiacs could be had with bench seat and column change manual tranmission.

[Who me ?]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Weren't they push me pull you on the dash rather than on the column? (I seem to remember)

If it was the same as the R4, it was a push pull arrangement on the dash. not unlike a floor mounted change, only difference being that whilst a floor change was in H format, with neutral in the horizontal plane, Renault turned the H on it's side and neutral was in the vertical plane. The fly in the ointment was on some R4 with only 3 speed boxes .
On column mounted changes : whilst RHD floor changes were predominantly on an H basis, with low ratios furtherest from driver , column changes were on an H basis ,but lower ratios position depended on maker . Usually it was easy to work out on a 4 speed box, as with no up/down pull, 3rd /4th were automatically selected ,as in a floor change.
The beauty of column change on commercial vehicles ( vans/pickups ) was that it was possible to carry two passengers with out the middle one having to juggle knees to allow for gear changes. Anyone driven a late ( 51plate on )style Transit with a floor change ( albeit with the lever mounted as far as possible from the seat) ,with three up in front ( and it's legal as it sports three sets of belts) will remember the beauty of a column change .

[RosscoPCole]

I know it is an automatic gearbox but our C4 Grand Picasso has a column shift. It frees up the dashboard and means there is another huge cubby hole. It gives the car a plain and simple looking dashboard.

[Mopar440]

Why is everyone commenting about automatic gearboxes when the OP has asked a question about (manual) column shifts?

[Cliftonite]

These had column changes (Vauxhall F-type Victor)





as did these (Bedford CA)





I have driven both!

[The Turbonator]

RosscoPCole said:

I know it is an automatic gearbox but our C4 Grand Picasso has a column shift. It frees up the dashboard and means there is another huge cubby hole. It gives the car a plain and simple looking dashboard.

We have the manual version, so our gearstick is where your mini-fridge is

[anonymous-user]

swerni said:

My E220 Merc has them, I hate them.

Yeah lots of modern Mercedes' have them. I've driven them quite a bit and still get the shifter mixed up with the indicator stalk. I can see why they've done it, as centre console area is so useful for other features.