Until the 1960s, every car my father had was a manual transmission three-on-the-tree. That included a 1948 Chevy Fleet master, a 1954 Bel-Air, and a 1962 Chevy II 300. The popularity of this setup started with its introduction in 1938 and endured through the 1960s and even 1970s, including automatics on the column. It was safer in terms of visibility than the floor shifter that it replaced and that would ultimately replace it by the 1980s. For my generation, it was symbolic of my parents and their "old" ways. By 1964 the 4 speed on the floor featured in Pontiac GTOs and Corvairs were the way to go, along with the British sports cars that became so popular with my age group.
What the bigger engine and gearing did or American cars, however, was to allow drivers to dispense with shifting altogether, as long as there were no steep hills or traffic jams. It was "0 to 70, and never a hand on the lever," and that statement reflected the theme of safety on one hand and driver laziness on the other. Meanwhile, Europeans with their smaller engines shifter and shifted high revving and low geared engines, but with a floor shifter that my generation thought they were cool but interestingly got in the way of romance.
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