Those who lived through the 1980s may recall when shift levers were mounted on the steering columns of cars and trucks. It was the most common transmission setup of the postwar era, but several technological breakthroughs in the 1970s contributed to the column shifter’s decline.
In this article, we’ll go through a brief history of the column shifter and its cultural impact to see whether it still deserves a place in today’s fast-paced automotive world.
Column shifters were first introduced to the US market in 1938. It began with a three-speed manual shifter that enabled drivers to switch between gears. While they were very rare, some vehicles (like the Chrysler / Fiat Simca) actually had four speed column shifters.
American vehicles throughout the 1940s and 1950s utilized the three-speed column shift, also known as three-on-the-tree. These vehicles had larger cabins with wide benches instead of bucket seats. The shifter was strategically mounted on the steering column behind the wheel, which cleared some space up front for an additional passenger. This appealed to drivers with big families.
Bench seats were advantageous as towns that still had narrow streets from the horse-and-buggy and Model T days had parallel parking to deal with wider-bodied vehicles. For that reason, vehicles from that era frequently only had a key lock cylinder on the passenger door because the driver would enter from the sidewalk and slide across to sit under the steering wheel so as not to have to deal with the traffic.
There are advantages and disadvantages to the three-speed column shift:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Clean design | Shifter placement can be confusing |
| More passenger space up front | Trades central consoles, parking brakes, storage compartments, and other useful features for extra seating capacity |
| Great mechanical feedback | Arguably not as quick as modern shift sticks |
Up until the late 1960s, many vehicles had three-on-the-tree column shifters with overdrive transmissions that provided three more gears. You’d accelerate in first gear, let off the accelerator, and a solenoid would lock the planetary gear set to give a higher gear. Then as the transmission was shifted to second gear, the planetary would unlock, and releasing the accelerator would lock the planetary once again. This was repeated all the way through third gear. The overdrive function could be disabled for towing, usually by pulling on a T handle that said “overdrive.”
One problem with column shifters is that they tended to wear out and the linkage would sometimes become fouled so that the shifter wouldn’t work until you opened the hood, reached to the base of the steering column, and pulled the parts back in line. The shift collar on some column shifters (Fords, mostly) tended to break where the shifter entered the collar, which was cast metal.
But what do classic muscle cars and pickup trucks have in common? Many of them ran on three-speed manual transmissions. Here are a few examples:
Few cars could match the popularity of the 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS. The 1966 model incorporates Chevy’s “Wide Stance” design with a widened front and rear tread, distinctive body lines, and sleek hood contours. Eventually, horizontal rear tail lamp lenses replaced the six individual rear lamps that had been standard on Impalas since 1958.
The interior featured Strato bucket seats that folded forward so that passengers could access the rear compartment. The base transmission was a fully synchronized three-speed manual with a column shifter, while the base V-8 engine was the 283-cubic-inch Turbo Fire that produced 195 BHP at 4800 RPM.
On the performance-oriented end, Chevy offered the Super Sports models, which could be ordered with V-6 or V-8 engines with optional manual or automatic transmissions. The 7.0-liter V8 engine helped the 1966 Impala sell 38,000 units and become the second-best-selling sedan in the United States that year.
The 1968 Ford Torino GT debuted as an upscale version of the Fairlane. This two-door muscle car was a remodeled 500XL GTA fitted with lower body moldings and a fastback roofline that sloped to the edge of the trunk lid. The new styling proved advantageous on the race track. Ford now had a flashy midsize offering that could take on the Pontiac GTO. All Torino models had a standard three-speed column-shift manual transmission, but the GT offered optional V-8 engines, premium wheel covers, and extra lamps in the door panels. The FE-series engine ran at 265 HP and had 390 ft-lb of torque. The Torino took the market by storm, with around 500,000 units sold in its first year. By the end of 1972, the Torino became the best-selling intermediate in its segment.
There are several reasons why the three-speed manual transmission and column-mounted gearshift lever fell out of favor with buyers and carmakers alike.
The introduction of console and floor shifters represented a change in buyers’ attitudes. Customers switched from bench seats to bucket seats amidst growing safety concerns. The middle seat became the vehicle’s central console, which housed the gearshift, storage compartments, and infotainment systems.
With the column shifter out of the way, there was a lot of free space around and on the steering wheel for features like cruise control, intermittent wipers, fog lights, and gearshift paddles.
Some drivers struggled to perform downshifts with speed, accuracy, and precision due to the column shifter’s awkward mounted position. Poor positioning affects your timing in emergency driving situations where you need to switch gears quickly. This makes performing a manual column shift difficult.
As push-button appliances became more widespread in the 20th century, carmakers flirted with the idea of electronically controlled transmissions in passenger vehicles. This thought experiment, which was initially used in the Vulcan System back in 1914, enabled drivers to switch gears with the push of a button. It was far from perfect, but that didn’t stop carmakers from developing this technology. Chrysler Corporation released its version in 1956 and called its simple dash console setup the Magic Touch. Ford’s Mercury division expounded on the push-button technology with their Keyboard Control. Despite the potential of electronically controlled transmissions, customers still preferred the confidence-giving control of a traditional selector, so this fad didn’t last long.
The proliferation of cheap automatic vehicles during the 1960s and 1970s put an end to the three-on-the-tree setup. Due to the sheer convenience of vehicle transmission systems like the automatic, the column shifter eventually fell into obscurity. Even though three-speed column-shift vehicles were still being manufactured well into the 1980s, there was no denying the popularity of four-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
Many automatic transmissions now have eight or ten speeds, which outperform the slower, less fuel-efficient manual. It’s no wonder why automatics continue to outsell manuals in the US. Data from Edmunds show only 41 out of 327 new car models sold in the US in 2020 offer manual transmissions. Nissan announced the discontinuation of stick shifts on the Frontier in the same year.
Here’s a brief summary of the iconic three-on-the-tree, explaining its role in a vehicle and its rich history.
Column shifters were an integral part of manual transmission vehicles throughout the early to mid-20th century.
As transmission technology evolved, the classic shifter was pushed into obscurity. Still, there’s a small, yet passionate fanbase of drivers on the internet who admire the three-on-the-tree setup. Still, there are a lot of drivers who don’t share that sentiment and believe that column shifters are obsolete.
It’s also worth mentioning that fewer manual transmission vehicles are being produced today. It’s doubtful that we’ll see another ten-speed column-shift vehicle anytime soon. With the arrival of engine-less electric cars, the death of the column shifter becomes increasingly likely with each passing model.
Shifting maximizes engine performance and maintains the optimal engine RPM while enhancing the driving experience. As such, any malfunctions in transmission need a closer look. In some cases, a newly installed column shift mechanism will help you restore the proper operation to smoothly shift into and out of desired gears. Thankfully, CarParts.com has different shift mechanisms for you to choose from.
We know how valuable it is to have a replacement column shift mechanism delivered as soon as possible to our customers. We deliver the parts you need when you need them. Our strategically located auto parts warehouses are equipped with the latest technologies for efficient order processing and faster shipping. Customers in the United States can expect their auto accessories or replacement parts to arrive in as little as two business days when ordered by noon ET.
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Tesla has a column shifter, at least the shift lever is mounted on the steering column on the model 3/Y.