> The following sentence from the article puzzled me:
>
> "If you somehow manage to stall the engine, you can engage the starter in
> gear -even on a steep slope - and avoid a critical clutch engagement in a
> precarious position."
>
> Is there something clever (mechanically) here, or am I missing something?
The "something clever" is the idiotic clutch-pedal interlock used
on many modern cars. This keeps the average dork from starting the
car in gear so he doesn't drive through the back wall of his garage
and sue the manufacturer. The new Landy doesn't appear to have this
egregious sop to the lowest common denominator.
I, for instance, can engage the starter in gear in all of my cars.
I haven't had to in the ZX yet, but I've had to in at least two
vehicles when the clutch linkage went out. You just start the
car and release the key when it catches; when it comes time to shift,
you do your best to match revs on the 'box by playing with the throttle
pedal while fishing with the gear lever. The Volvo is very sturdy in
this regard, but the VW GTI actually had the best gearbox for doing
this; lots of times I'd shift without the clutch just to keep in
practice. I can see that if it was something I did every day for
a month or so, it would be easy to do it all the time without
making any awful noises. I just haven't had a rental car with a
stick for that long...
Additionally, I'll bet the Landy has a mongo super starter that will
crank even when the car is on a 45% slope or something. Of course,
having just rented "The Gods Must Be Crazy," I'd worry about it
trying to climb a tree or something...
--Scott "She has flowers on her panties" Fisher
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