Posted on 06/20/2013 12:44:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Florida man wanted to steal himself a vehicle, so he decided to flag down the first car that came his way so he could carjack it. A woman driving down 50th Avenue in Escambia County slowed down when she spotted the man waving her down, pretending he needed help.
When she stopped, the man pulled out a gun and demanded she get out.
She did.
He hopped in the car.
And then his grand criminal plan was foiled when he noticed the car was stick shift, because he apparently drive stick.
So it was time to switch to Plan B: RUN AWAY! According to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office's Facebook, Antoren "Chief Keef" Bell, 19, fled on foot from the vehicle when he discovered that it was a stick shift.
The victim helped police ID Bell through a lineup, and he was arrested on Friday.
The incident happened back in May.
Bell has been charged with theft, robbery and criminal mischief. He was being held on $400,000 bond.
-PJ
The only one I remember hearing about is the Edsel.
I test-drove an old Falcon Ranchero once that had a three-on-the-tree. It was an interesting experience, both in trying to shift it properly and dealing with the HUGE gap between first and second gears.
I believe that idea was actually invented by Henry’s nephew Edsel Ford whose glorious car model of the same name used it with limited success. Chevrolet and a couple of others copied it . . . but not for long.
Was it a Nash?
Had a push button transmission on the left hand side of the steering wheel.
Sometimes my mom would push "R" and it would go forward!! My dad hated that car!!! Ha!!
This looked a lot like the car...but our's was butt ugly!!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=push+button+old+Dodge&qpvt=push+button+old+Dodge&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=7D265F733B8BC4D4F5E42A8540E5A0DB6306D98F&selectedIndex=35
Ramblers and Ambassadors, and most Chryslers (Dodge, Plymouth) late ‘50s - early ‘60s.
I rode with my friend afterward, and he had no problems. It must have been worn to his biometrics...
Some Chryslers had that setup. Ramblers, too - IIRC.
We're trending back towards that design, now that most automatic transmission shifters are fully electronic.
I've been driving a stick for the last 30 years, have owned automatics in the past. I feel I have better control in bad weather with a stick.
Also it occurred to me some time back that mine being a stick might make carjackers think twice. I wouldn't leave the ignition turned on for them though. Then maybe he'd gotten mad and shot me.
So maybe the best thing to do would try to run them over. Keep the doors locked.
Which old car had the buttons on the dash?”
I believe that would have been a Hudson.
I know of a lady who took her driving test in NJ at a rather late age. He let her use his restored Stanley Steamer. The motor vehicle folks weren’t too keen on the idea, but there was no law against it. :)
In high school I befriended a foreign exchange student from Belgium. Nice girl. Just before coming to the States she had finally gotten her Belgium driver's license. From what she said, it was a big deal in Belgium because they have some pretty stringent requirements (1989). She wanted to drive an "American muscle car". One night, we found her a large parking lot and put her behind the wheel of a Mustang GT (5.0). Not the most powerful of "muscle cars".
Apparently the clutch was a little more sensitive than she was used to, as was the throttle, engine and brakes. 100' later, amid tire smoke, the smell of burnt clutch and brake dust, we filed out of the car laughing our buts off. She revved the motor, dumped the clutch, spun the wheels, started sideways, let off the gas and slammed on the brakes, all in about 100'. What a ride!
She did get the hang of it eventually.
Just drove a BMW with that annoying, mickey mouse electronic shifter. It’s just an electric switch and would be far better as push buttons.
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My father had a push button Plymouth Valiant. It was supposedly the coming thing in automatic transmissions.
I have to depress the clutch pedal in my Miata to start the engine too. Also had to do that in my ‘85 Chevy Sprint (the precursor to the Geo Metro).
I also prefer driving with three pedals and an H-pattern shifter.
If you’re going to commit a crime, it pays to (1) know how to use whatever you’re intending to steal, and (2) not have a very distinctive appearance at the time. Oh, and most important of all, don’t be (3) stupid. Unfortunately for this guy, there’s no cure for #3.
Check out his mugshot - explains it all...
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