Mind. Blown.

While at a customer's place in Indiana yesterday I came across a profoundly interesting vehicle. He had a small Subaru pickup truck which he sometimes used for service calls. 

It was little; smaller than a Ford Ranger I would say. In my excitement I neglected to ask how old it was, although it's apparently fairly old as he had an Indiana Historic Vehicle license plate on it. But that wasn't what impressed me most. Oh, no no no.

This tiny truck had the steering wheel on the right, what we would call the passenger side. But more - get this, get this, get this - it had a manual transmission.

Okay, that in itself is no big deal. Dial down your excitement, Marty. But as the pickup was right wheel drive that meant you had to shift with your left hand. I was, quite frankly, overly taken in by that. I can drive a stick, but never thought about having to shift left-handed. I seriously considered asking the man if I could take it for a spin simply to get an idea what it felt like. 

"It shifts just the same, has the same pattern, same left foot clutch," he had explained to me. Yeah, but you had to manipulate the shifter left handed. That makes, like, all the difference in the world, doesn't it? 

In a few weeks I have to return a couple machines of his which I brought back to Detroit for repair. I might just ask about that drive then.