I first learned how to drive in a 1990 black Nissan pickup, which was so unremarkable they didn’t bother naming the model. If you happen to type “‘90s black Nissan pickup” into Google images, you will see not only the truck, but the pinnacle of the driving experience. 

No, it isn’t a German masterpiece of carbon fiber and adrenaline. Nor will it propel you to 60 miles an hour in anything less than what seems an eternity. However, there is a worn, leather-clad portal just to the left of the driver’s seat that with the right attitude can turn even the most mundane of grocery runs into the Indy 500. 

For decades, the stick shift has transported drivers away from reality. It starts with a rude and violent introduction; lurching stall-out engine cuts as you learn to feel for the clutch and its subtle vibrations. But soon confidence builds, and no matter if it’s a Civic or a Lamborghini, driving becomes so much more. 

Every corner turns into a challenge, every gear shift an opportunity to make that engine scream with excitement at your every input. You, the driver, are the center of it all. Fluid coordination between the pedals, steering and shifter turns into a dance through the twists and turns of whatever road you’re on. It is no longer about the destination anymore; it’s about the experience.

Edmunds, the leading automotive study group in the U.S., found that fewer than 3 percent of car sales in the U.S. are manual cars. With a rise in electric vehicles, paddle shifters and self driving cars, the manual is a dying breed. The focus has been gradually changed over the years from engaging the driver to pandering to and comforting the driver. Now of course, not everyone is looking for an “experience” when car shopping; sometimes those three kids necessitate a minivan over a Maserati. However, for those still chasing that gasoline dream and sweet scent of charred asphalt and rubber, the options are more limited by the day. 

Enzo Ferrari, founder of the famous racing team and world-renowned company, once said “The fact is I don’t drive just to get from A to B. I enjoy feeling the car’s reactions, becoming part of it.” This quote embodies the importance of manuals to some. The formation of this connection between driver and car just isn’t possible without your hand resting on a shift knob. So now in 2018, with Ferrari ranking number two in Formula One and a massive lineup of widely praised sports cars, how many manual transmission models do they offer? None.

In an interview regarding the departure from manuals, Ferrari CTO Michael Hugo Leiters said, “Ferrari is design, performance and state of the art technologies. There’s no manual transmission that can beat this performance.”

And this is true. Nor will any manual beat a Tesla P100D, which prides itself on a 0-60 time of 2.28 seconds set by Motortrend, in a straight away. That same Tesla will drive you home with you never having to put a hand on the wheel. Computers will beat human input almost every time, and with ever-improving technology that performance gap will only grow.

For those who have never experienced the sensation of carving through coastal roads, slamming gears at the apex of every turn, truly feeling the road, I urge you to do so. It is truly a visceral, often terrifying but even more so gratifying sensation. 

With the market’s current direction, before you know it we will all be rolling around in those floating chairs from Wall-E. If you’ve never seen it, save yourself the despair and instead go find a manual transmission to get behind for the day. I promise, you won’t regret it.