The Annual Monterey Issue

Car Culture
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Leon’s Transmission by Mark Llewellyn Services, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OUT Clutch TO Time LUNCH for the Clutch Pedal
Think Fewer back! than What 10% was of the all best cars thing and about light trucks starting sold in the U.S. last year were
the equipped new school with year? a traditional For many, manual it was getting transmission a new with a clutch pedal. This is
lunch despite box! the Each rising year fuel kids costs put a and lot of the thought fact that into a manual transmission provides
what
better
box
fuel
they
economy.
would get. Just as what car we drive
defines us, a lunch box made the statement of what
one was about. It had to tell Clutchless the dudes to manual “back off,” transmissions originated in
and the girls to “take notice.” European Being the vehicles ‘Hot Wheel’ a few and years ‘Matchbox’ back. They car gear-head are making
generation that we were, many their naturally appearances picked in a lunch the United box with States a car on in it. Ford Fiesta
and Focus models. Using the “power-shift feature”
Let’s take a step back. The however, first lunch has boxes provoked came about some in the complaints late 1800’s and from were new
used by blue-collar workers buyers. to protect The their technology food from and the feel rigors are of new the to workplace. consumers.
The golden age of lunch boxes Ford came has about actually in the launched 1950’s. The a campaign first character-licensed to educate
lunch box was Mickey Mouse buyers in 1935. on the Sales clutchless of that box manual skyrocketed! transmission. Aladdin
Industries was looking for a way to increase sales of their plain steel lunch kits, as they
were Porsche called reports then. They that came 60% out of with their ‘Hopalong new cars Cassidy’ sold and are ‘Roy Rogers’ boxes in
the equipped 50’s, and with the clutchless craze was manual born. Aladdin transmissions. later added the thermos, complete with
additional Volkswagen graphics, is also making currently the lunch offering boxes vehicles even more with desirable a for kids and moms.
With
clutchless
new T.V.
manual
shows
transmission.
and new fads coming along each
007 and his DB5
year, Other the factors addition contributing of new themes to and the images demise on of lunch the clutch
boxes pedal would are automatic assure kids transmissions would have to that get can a new be one used in a
each ‘full year. manual As a mode’. result, 120 On million vehicles lunch equipped boxes were with sold this
between feature, the 1950 driver and can 1970. choose In 1962, whether Aladdin to embossed shift gears the or not.
front and back of the lunch boxes giving them a 3D effect.
Ford has dropped the option of a manual transmission in the F150 trucks,
All since good the things demand come in to recent an end, years and became so it was so with low. the metal lunch box. In the late
1970’s cost cutting saw the lunch boxes made out of plastic. Florida actually banned
Learning the stick shift was a rite of passage for many teenagers for years. Car
metal lunch boxes, fearing kids would use them as school yard weapons. 1987 saw
collectors and enthusiasts are heart-broken at the
the last mass-produced metal lunch box, graced with the image of Rambo.
demise of the stick. “Car and Driver” magazine has
actually So why launched are we talking a campaign about lunch to “Save boxes the in Manuals”. a car
magazine? Well, just look at all these cool lunch
Many believe that declining interest in truly driving
boxes! Many believe the cars are just as much the
a car will end up consigning classic automobiles to
“stars” as the actors; you be the judge. Bon appétit.
museums and show displays. Perhaps the next
generation Fred and Barney of mechanics won’t know what a
“clutch at the drags!
job” is!
George Jetson
in his commuter!
Note: the dome design of the box
www.LeonsTransmission.com
www.LeonsTransmission.com
Mallory Llewellyn off to work
with her Dukes of Hazard
lunch
15
box
year
& thermos
old Taylor Halby
learning to drive her father’s
Suzuki Samari, 5-speed manual
Robinson’s Family station wagon
(aka The Chariot)
1960 Toy with Shifter
George Barris’ Munster Koach from the
CBS Series “The Munsters”