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Old 16th September 2008, 22:34
G-CPTN G-CPTN is offline  
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Tynedale
Age: 79
Posts: 3,698
I've not driven anything noteworthy for nearly twenty years (retired, hurt) but I did drive a prototype 'auto-shift' - a manual 16-speed gearbox that shifted using air-actuators controlled by computer according to load and speed(s).
The beauty was that I knew the route and couldn't fault the system.
Anybody got the production versions?

The very first 'fly-by-wire' gearshift system that I tested (around 1977) packed up in the middle of a busy street in central Luton. Very quickly there was grid-lock and a pedestrian policeman ambled up. He asked what was the problem. I explained (or so I thought) and he said "Well if you could just pull it into the side of the road . . . " http://209.85.48.8/1889/52/emo/zacepi.gif
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