I was struck by a recent release from Citroen. The C4 1.6HDi, it said, is now offered with a 6-speed electronic gearbox system which "combines the convenience of an automatic with the driver involvement of a manual". This is a claim that goes back to the days of my youth. In the 1960s one could drive cars from the Fiat 850 and the Simca 1000 to the NSU Ro80 and even the Porsche 911 with the option of a transmission which replaced the conventional pedal-operated clutch with a torque converter (we might now call it a "launch device") and a servo-operated clutch triggered by a microswitch somewhere in the gear lever, in the knob or at the base.
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