Where were you when you found out that it was possible to have an electric car with a manual transmission? Maybe you sat down for a second like Rodin’s Thinker and said aloud to no one in particular “Maybe the future won’t be so bad after all.” like I did. Maybe it completely changed the course of your life. Or maybe that time is right now.

The original Tesla Roadster was supposed to have a two-speed manual transmission. There are quite a few converted electric cars out there driving around the world with manually-shifted gears. Interestingly, because electric motors can freewheel and only provide propulsion when you press the go pedal, you don’t even need to clutch in at a stop. And usually you can just shift into whatever gear you want from a stop and it’ll roll out without any issue. No more stalling or bucking or slipping the clutch for hill starts!

For this excellent row-your-own throwback to 2001's The Fast And The Furious, I award Reserve Parachute today’s COTD victory. Excellent gif usage combined with the most iconic frame in automotive cinema are worthy of a pat on the back. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to shift into 49th gear.

And for everyone else, drop a note in the comments if you were today years old when you found out about manual transmission electric cars.