Did any Manumatic survive?

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It could be well possible you have never heard of the Manumatic. It was a semi-automatic clutch that was the forerunner of todays ‘paddle shifters” on the steering wheel. The Manumatic was available as optional extra on such 1950s British saloon cars like the MG Magnette, the Austin A50, Morris Oxford and Wolseley. In principle the Manumatic was a cross-over between a manual and a fully automatic gearbox, no use of the clutch pedal, only the gear lever to select the appropriate gear. The idea was simple, the execution horribly complicated as the system relied on a mix of electric switches, vacuum switches and hydraulics. It all worked well when everything was adjusted correctly, but there where many teething troubles and the system’s complexity frustrated many a mechanic. Therefore the option never really caught on and faded into oblivion. What we would like to know if there is still someone out there who has a Manumatic clutch on his car? And does it work properly? Tell us all about it!

Originally published: Monday December 27th, 2010

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