Dave Head
Some cars are a lot easier than others. I could shift an old VW with an 020 tranny without any problems. The later 02A and whatever they used in the 1.8T was a lot more difficult, and being worth a lot more than an old beater with an 020 I never tried that hard. A Borg-Warner T10 can be shifted without the clutch, but it helps to have a Hurst shifter so you can actually feel the gears moving rather than the stock "suggestion lever." I haven't had the balls to try shifting a Porsche transmission without the clutch...
The ability to do this helped a lot one night a few years ago when my Scirocco's pedal cluster self-destructed at a stop sign on the way home from work. I lost all clutch action instantly; I end the engine and then restarted it in first gear so I could limp to a nearby church parking lot. Traffic was way too heavy and there were way to many stops to seriously contemplate trying to drive all the way home, although I did consider it momentarily.
nate
-- replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
