Accidental shifting blew transmition

In todays paper you wrote that you can’t experiment with shifting into reverse in the brand new cars that you test drive.



Come on guys,



That’s what rental cars are for.

When I read the article, I wondered why there wasn’t a mechanical reverse lockout in the shifter.

What is a “transmition”?

That’s what rental cars are for.

“Even more important than being drunk, however, is having
the right car. You have to get a car that handles really
well. This is extremely important, and there’s a lot of
debate on this subject–about what kind of car handles best.
Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car.
I say a rented car. Nothing handles better than a
rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and
put the transmission into reverse while going forward at
a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other
kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk
as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it’s
an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods–you can take
a rented car anywhere. True, you can’t always get it back–
but that’s not your problem, is it?”

               P.J. O'Rourke and Joe Schenkman
               [i]How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting
               Your ___ Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink[/i]

               pg 263, [i]National Lampoon Tenth Anniversary
               Anthology 1970 - 1980[/i]

originally published in National Lampoon March 1979