Each month, we sift through hundreds of tagged photos and approve a select few for display in our Instagram tag gallery, a curated space intended to showcase real-world members who rock the TMGPS insignia on their ride. Here are the top surprises from this month’s submissions:

Anthony’s Five-Speed Toyota Tacoma

In November, we asked manual Toyota pickup owners to tag #TMGPSTacoma. The community stepped up — or, in this case, crawled up to flex on all of us. Well done, Anthony.

Shaun’s Manual International Harvester Scout

Not three weeks after we posted a Scout to our IG, Shaun tagged us in his example of his Scout’s well-loved TMGPS Key Fob. I’ve used mine for more than two years and it still looks fresh, but the more rugged among us will appreciate how the laser-engraved leather fob wears in with harder use.

Jared’s Five-Speed Ford Mustang GT

I’ve hit the Tail of the Dragon twice this month and five times this year, but I always seem to miss our TMGPS crew. It’s a huge honor to ride on board when our members take the best drives of their lives, and Jared’s Cobra R clone stopped us mid-scroll.

Rich’s Manual-Swapped Volvo V70R

We owe you a longform writeup of Rich’s rare longroof, finished in Volvo’s spectacular Saffron hue. Until the in-depth story, just know that this turbobrick isn’t afraid to row through each of its swapped gears, yet somehow still manages to stay showroom-clean for studio-quality photo sessions in New England’s matching foliage.

JT’s Manual 1983 Audi Quattro Coupe

I was just having a face-to-face conversation with a co-worker who happens to be a repeat TMGPS customer about this very car, wondering aloud who was lucky enough to pick it up in its recent sale. Lo and behold, when approving this month’s tags, I found out that its new owner is, of course, within our ranks. Fortunately, JT is not shy with his camera, and loves to tag TMGPS. Watch our tag gallery for more of his art to come.

@highmileage is a world-traveling automotive historian. follow adam barrera on instagram.

The keen eyed among us seem to have a sixth sense. In the calmest of moments, in the company of people who can’t tell a Civic from a Corsica and don’t care, a distant glint catches our attention. It’s a shape we haven’t seen before — not on these shores, anyway — and our excited flailing disturbs the fleeting peace of our passengers. We’ve spotted a special car again. We ask to turn around.

This particular find, though, is worth our passengers’ exasperation. It’s an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, never sold in the USA, and rare even in Europe. James Lawson bought one of 5000 copies made — and when the British Royal Marines stationed him in the US, he brought his treasure with.

“Back in the UK, the car was registered as E11 GTA, and might well have been seen at numerous shows and events like Brooklands Auto Italia,” explained Lawson, who is no stranger to the racetrack. “It’s been out at Bedford Autodrome, Castle Coombe, Goodwood, Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring. Alfie has probably done about 100 laps on the ‘Ring with only one minor suspension related mishap.”

Alfa Romeo fit some 147 GTA models with an automatic gearbox borrowed from the Ferrari 360 Modena. Most, Lawson said, came with the six-speed manual that he considers the superior experience. His particular example might be clean, but it’s not factory: its rebored “Busso” 3.8-liter V6 pumps out 330 horsepower, and a short-throw shifter reduced the gear throws by about a third.

The only known Alfa Romeo 147 GTA in the United States has a busy schedule over its two-year visit: Lawson plans to tackle the Tail of the Dragon between track days at Summit Point and Watkins Glen. Track prep includes KW V3 coilovers, Eibach anti-roll bars, a Q2 differential and “lots of extra Alcantara.”

A Ferrari 360 throttle body, ported CF2 manifolds and Raggazzon exhaust transform the 2900-pound hot hatch into an anthemic expression, instantly recognizable as foreign and exotic to American ears. As Lawson said, “Everything sounds better in Italian.”

If you’re an outspoken ally of the manual transmission active in your online owner community, DM @highmileage on Instagram for your chance to be featured in a TMGPS Member Spotlight.

Greg Scherer could star in a Subaru brochure. His Arkansas-bred lifestyle of fly fishing, canoeing and biking New York’s remote watering holes is exactly why the Crosstrek was built. As he tells it, though, his perfect automotive match emerged out of heartbreak.

During Christmas of 2017, Greg was involved in an accident that totaled his beloved 1999 Honda Civic. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but the cost of repairs far outstripped the value of the loyal manual Honda. Pressed to find a replacement in limited time, Greg did a little soul-searching.

“While I loved my Honda, I was taking it beyond its limits,” Greg recalled, “at times being asked on a trail, “How did you get out here?” I knew I needed something much more capable in capacity to pack gear and deal with terrain.”

Greg remembered how he had eyed his friend’s 2014 Crosstrek finished in advertorial Khaki solid paint. After considering the amount of gear toting, snow plowing and puddle fording on his favorite lesser-traveled paths, Greg made a decision.

His nearest dealer was 45 minutes away. He had to know for sure the car he wanted would be in stock before he asked a friend for a ride.

“I’ll admit that initially I’d planned on getting an automatic due to the amount of traffic I dealt with,” said Greg, “but when I found out that they had the color I wanted in the trim level I wanted, and it also happened to be manual, I knew the stars had aligned for me to have another manual.”

In his first three years of ownership, Greg’s clocked 77,000 miles on his Cool Gray Khaki example. One scroll through his adventure-oriented Instagram feed proves he’s not afraid to use his car.

“My build philosophy for the car is to only replace as needed,” Greg said. “My initial enhancements came in the way of a roof rack to carry bikes, gear and my canoe. Next came an off-road-worthy set of wheels and tires once I reached 75,000 miles on the originals. I’ll keep taking it step by step as things progress naturally, and we both get older together.”

“I was looking for a car I would want to keep for life,” said Vince Santiago, owner of a 2001 Porsche 911 named Wally. Santiago was searching for a car that he could only call “well-sorted”; when he ran across Wally in the Porsche Club of America classifieds, it was an instant match.

Santiago has since logged 6000 miles on his trusty 996, performing his own annual oil change in his driveway. With fresh Mobil 1 and a Mahle filter, Santiago stands prepared for the return of 500-plus-mile roadtrips in a post-Covid world.

Wally hauls Santiago’s Cannondale bike, which regularly embarks on hour-long pedal-powered tours of the California byways. There’s something satisfying about seeing a Porsche doing blue-collar work, especially when equipped with a proper transmission.

Santiago covers California’s Porsche events on Instagram, where he uses a Leica M240 digital rangefinder camera to bring out the warmth and depth of classic lines. Most of his car show coverage is presented in full color, but when he turns his lens on Wally, moody grayscale and sepia tones bring forth the quietness of moments spent in exotic locales.

Wally wears The Manual Gearbox Preservation Society insignia on his rear windshield, a tremendous honor to those of us on the TMGPS team. Santiago found his dream car, and drives it to its fullest — a story emblematic of the Society.

In Memory of Jerry Hirshberg

“It’s fun having a weird little piece of Japan in the backyard.”

1994 Nissan Caravan Silkroad
Andy Peterson, Racine, Wisconsin
TMGPS Member since 2018

Gran Turismo may have featured some of Andy Peterson’s favorite cars, but by no means was it the catalyst for his automotive obsession. That passion sparked long before.

“The Nissan fixation goes back to childhood,” said Andy, who also harbors a soft spot for rear-drive Volvos and malaise-era GM products. “One of the first vehicles I really noticed was my aunt’s black 1986 Nissan 200SX hatchback. And, when I was seven, my parents bought an off-lease U11 Stanza, which was so completely different and so much more reliable than the Dodge Aries they traded in on it.  It’s the car associated with so many childhood memories.”

After owning a cherry red first-gen Pulsar NX and a near-mint ’91 Maxima which met an untimely demise, Andy began building a new project in his mind: a Japanese-style street van in the mold of idol @dai_san.5555. The #alljapan24family hashtag was the inspiration. The E24-chassis Nissan Caravan would be the base. Suddenly, Houston-based importer J Cars Import had the van in stock.

That quickly, it was his.

“Honestly, shifting from the RHD side is easy and not difficult to get used to,” said Andy, who bought his diesel-powered luxury van sight-unseen. “Keeping the turn signal and wiper blade stalks straight is another matter. “

Champagne cooling in the chiller. Limousine seats reclined next to panoramic windows. Second- and third-row passengers live a cushy life in Andy’s van, lounging in a space somewhere between business-class and bosozoku.

Soon, a set of tasteful wheels will subtly tuck beneath the fenders to complement a lowering kit on order. First on his list of custom touches: a TMGPS shift pattern decal in the center stack that matches the aesthetic so well, people have asked if it’s factory-installed.

“I’ve also had some questions about the hatch decal at tire shops and parts stores,” said Andy, who doesn’t see the manual transmission minivan as a paradox. ” I certainly prefer a manual transmission in other types of vehicles, so why not a van? “

Winter means the stately Nissan will hibernate until the snow is gone. After the thaw, Andy plans to showcase his modern classic at automotive meets from Milwaukee to Madison — and possibly beyond.

“I don’t hold a ton of hope for the continued existence of the manual in new cars,” said Andy, who admits there will always be at least one comfy auto box in his fleet. “But I’d love to be proven wrong. My biggest hope is that driving enthusiasts from my generation will keep manual cars preserved and fiercely treasured as a hobby. Hot rodders and off-roaders have doggedly kept technology like solid axles and carburetors alive in the aftermarket more than 30 years after the major automakers decided they weren’t feasible for production anymore. Hopefully the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s kids can do the same for the third pedal.”

If you’re an outspoken ally of the manual transmission active in your online owner community, DM @highmileage on Instagram for your chance to be featured in a TMGPS Member Spotlight.