Learning Manual From The Great One

Yesterday, I was given an opportunity drive a beast. I cannot really give details on the make and model of the vehicle because if the person who owned the vehicle ever finds out that I drove it, I will die. Not figuratively.

My friend, Hank, was driving his girlfriend's car around town. After fussing with Dino about letting us drive his parents' Civic Si, we gave up. On the Si, that is. I asked Hank if I could drive his girlfriend's car. It's not really as beastly as a Lambo or a Ferrari, or even an SL65 (or whatever Mercedes has these days), but it was pretty powerful.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to harness the beast's full potential. Obviously, I was too afraid to really push it. But Hank gave me pretty good pointers on driving stick. The usual stuff.

Total stalls: 8 (according to Killa)

I mean c'mon, I was nervous. The car is more than $50,000 so I was being overly cautious. To the point that I stalled several times. Towards the end, I got more comfortable with the shifting. However, we all had massive headaches to deal with.

But I think what's more interesting than driving a brand new car with a manual transmission on (that you're not really supposed to be driving) is what was said during the "lesson":

Hank: Make a left.
Me: Wait, how do you make a left?

Me: Dude, I only stalled like twice. It was awesome.
Killa: More like 8. I counted.
Me: Okay, stalling back-to-back times shouldn't count twice. I stalled like 4 times.
Killa: 8.

Hank: That was the slowlest k-turn ever.
Me: It was practice. I bet you that I can k-turn just as fast as if I were driving automatic.
Hank: Go ahead. I'll time you.
...
Me: See?! How fast was that like 10 seconds?
Hank: 32. Useless.

Me (several times): What gear am I on?