I learned to drive a stick on the three on the tree. What a frigging adventure. Now that takes skill and it is a lost art unless you are over 40.
When I tell kids today about that they think I was making it up.
And when I tell them I had a 1967 Chevy Bel Air with a two speed automatic and floor vents, and the 327 engine mounts where cables, they are gobsmacked.
That was what we had as a Driver's Ed. car (likely with just a 6 cyl).
It was a trip to get it to merge smoothly onto the Long Island Expressway loaded with kids and the teacher (only those who already had had a license for a while were allowed to drive on the freeway).
All my manual-transmission cars (and for that matter, all but one of the automatic cars) had the shifter on the floor, but I test-drove a ‘64 Falcon Ranchero with a 3-on-the-tree once during my second year of college. I was looking for a car to replace my ‘74 Pinto, which at the time burned almost as much oil as gas. It didn’t take long to get the hang of it.
But I wound up getting an ‘81 Honda Accord instead, which had a 5-speed.