Shiftheads - The Cheapest Anti-Theft Device on the Market: The Clutch Pedal

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Feb 20, 2026 · 11m

Manual transmission cars are still out there and they solve a problem you didn't know you had. You can't steal one if you don't know how to drive it, and you can't look at your phone while you're driving it. Both of those things turn out to be features, not limitations, and the list of new cars still offering a stick shift is longer than you think.

Brian Makse spent the last few days driving a Mazda MX-5 manual on California roads and says there was no moment to even consider picking up his phone. Cadillac makes a luxury sedan with 640 horsepower and a manual gearbox. The Porsche Boxster and…