My first time at intermediate throttle
04/21/2022
First things first: this blog post is not about my first encounter with this classic car platform - after all, I've been working as an intern at Zwischengas since August last year. In fact, the title refers to my very first old-school gear change. What do you mean, you may now gasp in shock and indignation, people work at Zwischengas who have never performed this maneuver when downshifting?
Before you start a shitstorm, I have to say in my defense that I was only certified fit to drive 15 months ago. And of course I had already enjoyed our 1973 Fiat Nuova 500, affectionately known as the "tomato", but until then I had only experienced its disarmingly honest simplicity from the passenger seat. Today that is about to change.
The little unsynchronized Fiat is parked in the Ohringen industrial estate near Winterthur and I find myself behind the (not original) tiny steering wheel. My father explains the starting procedure to me and immediately afterwards I have to turn the key, pull the choke and operate the starter. Nine horses in each of two stalls wake up and scuffle rhythmically with their hooves. After a few meters of leisurely chugging along and a turning manoeuvre that clearly revealed the absence of a helping servo hand, the moment of truth arrived. Disengage the clutch, move the delicate gearshift from third gear to neutral, engage the clutch and at the same time step firmly on the accelerator pedal, disengage the clutch again, shift into second and let the clutch close gently.
Take a quick breather, the premiere has been a success. A few more repetitions in the same static environment follow, then we set course for Andelfingen. I learn that driving a 50-year-old small car requires caution in two senses. On the one hand, the wafer-thin doors and the lack of any kind of safety system remind you to drive defensively, and on the other, the intermediate throttle requires time and therefore a forward-looking view.
Curiously, upshifting causes me more trouble than downshifting. I'm probably too impatient and don't maneuver the gearshift gently enough; in any case, changing to the next higher gear is always accompanied by a more or less pronounced jerk. Only shifting into third regularly satisfies me with its movements and noises. Any tips on this are welcome in the comments column.
Back in Winterthur, the Fiat is rewarded for its efforts with a shower. The ride in the cuddly ball was refreshing, but also intense. Downshifting requires concentration and is not yet automatic for me. But since the simple tomato provides unfiltered and unceasing information about the condition of the road surface and confirms gear changes with a wonderfully metallic "clonk", I'm already looking forward to the next ride with intermediate throttle.
