What was the first car to NOT have a manual transmission as an option?

[Electronic M]

I figured it would be a luxury car, but I'm amazed it was that early... I kinda wondered if Packard had lasted long enough to offer automatics.

[Hawkwind]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I figured it would be a luxury car, but I'm amazed it was that early... I kinda wondered if Packard had lasted long enough to offer automatics.

I'm sure they went the route that Studebaker did. Sourced their transmissions from Borg-Warner or some similar named company.

Packard: Ultramatic

Studebaker: Flight-O-Matic

First car in high school was a 1966 Studebaker Cruiser with auto. Shift quadrant was, PNDLR.

The dealer was still in business and the head mechanic told me they were "Ford" transmissions...

[init4fun]

Originally Posted by Hawkwind

....First car in high school was a 1966 Studebaker Cruiser with auto. Shift quadrant was, PNDLR.....

I had a 1961 Cadillac that had PNDLR and then a 1964 that had the normal PRNDL , so for Cadillac the changeover must have been 1962 or 1963 . the 61 had what they called a "Dual Coupling Hydramatic" whereas the 64 had the "Turbo Hydramatic 400" .

[Sandy G]

Model T Fords had a sort of type of automatic. Well, not really-you'd step on one pedal, the tin Lizzie would be in "Low", stomp on the other pedal, you'd get a mournful howl from the tranny that would tell you that you were in high, & was good all the way up to a heady 50 MPH or so. The tranny operated w/bands, they were ALWAYS worn out, even from virtually brand-new, to equalize wear, a T driver became a virtuoso in driving backwards. A T tranny had a very rudimentary sort-of version of a modern planetary auto gear box, the 1927 Model A used a "Modern 3 speed" sliding gear box that is basically similar to what is used today on many vehicles. Everything old is New again...

[Colly0410]

There's only my friend Roy, my Wife's friend Sue & myself who have an auto, everyone else I know has a manual shift. Automatics are quite rare here in England & some cars don't have an option of an auto box. I've had an auto since 2010 & won't go back to a manual, I love it when I'm in stop/start traffic not having to keep pressing a clutch every few seconds, my left leg would be aching when I came home from work, not any more though...

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

There's only my friend Roy, my Wife's friend Sue & myself who have an auto, everyone else I know has a manual shift. Automatics are quite rare here in England & some cars don't have an option of an auto box. I've had an auto since 2010 & won't go back to a manual, I love it when I'm in stop/start traffic not having to keep pressing a clutch every few seconds, my left leg would be aching when I came home from work, not any more though...

It is the opposite here in the states...The last manual in the family was gone before my parents married (maybe even before they met). It wasn't till after college that I knew anyone with a manual or even sat in a car with one.

We Muricans love our automatics. Heck, we're lazy enough that it is hard to find a car without a cruise control...And a friend swears by and was trying to sell me on Chevys adaptive cruise control...Though I don't do enough regular highway driving for the adaptive feature to make a difference.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

There's only my friend Roy, my Wife's friend Sue & myself who have an auto, everyone else I know has a manual shift. Automatics are quite rare here in England & some cars don't have an option of an auto box. I've had an auto since 2010 & won't go back to a manual, I love it when I'm in stop/start traffic not having to keep pressing a clutch every few seconds, my left leg would be aching when I came home from work, not any more though...

Is the shift pattern reversed on the manual gear boxes? I know you have to shift with your left hand. I would imagine first and second would be closest to the driver. Also, how many speeds are the manuals.
Dave.

[Colly0410]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

Is the shift pattern reversed on the manual gear boxes? I know you have to shift with your left hand. I would imagine first and second would be closest to the driver. Also, how many speeds are the manuals.
Dave.

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

My late Father-in-law had a weird Citroen C4 diesel six speed auto = you'd be on the on ramp of the M1 motorway so you'd floor it to get up to 70 MPH to match the speed of the other cars & the gearbox would drop down a few gears taking a second or 2 before power came back on, scared me stupid when it did that..

Wayne next door just today has got a new company supplied Lexus auto, I had a drive & very nice it is. BTW mines a Hyundai i10 auto, I'm not jealous, no I'm not, honest I'm not. OK then I am..

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

I thought the shift pattern would be the same. I'm guessing that some others have R 1 3 5 along the top as well. Modern Mustangs may even have one that reads R SPIN GRASS N/A; it depends on the owner's driving style.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

My late Father-in-law had a weird Citroen C4 diesel six speed auto = you'd be on the on ramp of the M1 motorway so you'd floor it to get up to 70 MPH to match the speed of the other cars & the gearbox would drop down a few gears taking a second or 2 before power came back on, scared me stupid when it did that..

Wayne next door just today has got a new company supplied Lexus auto, I had a drive & very nice it is. BTW mines a Hyundai i10 auto, I'm not jealous, no I'm not, honest I'm not. OK then I am..

Thanks for answering my inquiry. My 2006 Jeep Wrangler with the six speed manual gearbox. The shift pattern is almost the same but the reverse is extreme middle and down. That's the best I can explain it.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

My late Father-in-law had a weird Citroen C4 diesel six speed auto = you'd be on the on ramp of the M1 motorway so you'd floor it to get up to 70 MPH to match the speed of the other cars & the gearbox would drop down a few gears taking a second or 2 before power came back on, scared me stupid when it did that..

Wayne next door just today has got a new company supplied Lexus auto, I had a drive & very nice it is. BTW mines a Hyundai i10 auto, I'm not jealous, no I'm not, honest I'm not. OK then I am..

There should be an eleventh commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors car." Your neighbor must really have an impressive position to rate a car of that caliber. It's my choice to own four vehicles instead of one super-expensive car.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

There should be an eleventh commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors car." Your neighbor must really have an impressive position to rate a car of that caliber. It's my choice to own four vehicles instead of one super-expensive car.

There is plenty of EXCELLENT cars to be had inexpensively...Especially if one keeps a careful watch of the used market.

For what a new Suburban costs I could get several used Escalades that would collectively outlast and outclass it...I could also get ~5 nice classic cars that fit my tastes for that money.

The only reason to spend the max money possible on a nice car is to show off wealth (or to obtain rarity). I rather have fun trying to get the most satisfaction/value for my money.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Colly0410

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

My late Father-in-law had a weird Citroen C4 diesel six speed auto = you'd be on the on ramp of the M1 motorway so you'd floor it to get up to 70 MPH to match the speed of the other cars & the gearbox would drop down a few gears taking a second or 2 before power came back on, scared me stupid when it did that..

Wayne next door just today has got a new company supplied Lexus auto, I had a drive & very nice it is. BTW mines a Hyundai i10 auto, I'm not jealous, no I'm not, honest I'm not. OK then I am..

Does the neighbor's employer actually own the car or just lease it? It's a very common practice in the US. Those cars are rather expensive even here!
BTW, what is VAT?

[init4fun]

VAT = "Value Added Tax" , it's a tax European folks have to pay for having "Luxury" items instead of cheaper base models . I only know of this because I have European relatives that I've spent time visiting .

[Colly0410]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

Does the neighbor's employer actually own the car or just lease it? It's a very common practice in the US. Those cars are rather expensive even here!
BTW, what is VAT?

Yes it is leased, he has a better car every year, a few year ago they gave him a clapped out van but he's a bossman now... I used to lease cars when I was a driving instructor, however I paid cash for my i10 2 years ago just before the higher car tax kicked in...