1979 Dodge Colt: Favorite Car Ads | The Daily Drive

The promise of an 8-speed manual transmission.

1979 Dodge Colt Custom, alloy wheels, TWIN-Stick — 1979 Dodge Colt Custom

1979 Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ

It was called TWIN-STICK, and it was silly, gimmicky, technically pointless, and by most accounts, all sorts of fun. First seen in the U.S. on the 1979 Mitsubishi-built Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ, the complicated transmission arrangement was the subject of a number of period reviews, and the print ad shared below.

TWIN-STICK Transmission

An option the economy-car Colt and Champ (which were identical save for the grille inserts), TWIN-STICK was offered as an alternative to the standard 4-speed manual transmission and available 5-speed manual and 3-speed automatic.

Per the ad, TWIN-STICK offered Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ the best of both words: Sporty fun and frugal motoring.

1979 Dodge Colt Custom, alloy wheels, TWIN-Stick print ad — 1979 Dodge Colt TWIN-STICK ad

Economy and Power

Here’s how the system worked: A TWIN-STICK-equipped car came with a conventional 4-speed manual transmission, but was supplemented by a second level that could shifted forward into “Power” mode, and downward into “Economy.” Those were the only two settings for the extra stick. For routine driving a driver was encouraged to keep the car in Economy mode, as the gear rations in that setting favored allowing the engine to operate at lower speeds, thus using less fuel.

1980 Plymouth Champ with TWIN-STICK — 1980 Plymouth Champ

Should the desire for a bit of fun strike, the driver would nudge the TWIN-STICK stick into Power mode, and enjoy a freer-revving engine, and the power that came with those higher RPMs.

How TWIN-STICK Worked

Here’s the thing: Despite the ad’s claim that TWIN-STICK brought with it 8 gears—which is sorta, kinda, true—the system only added one real gear ration.

Here’s why: The TWIN-STICK lever effectively changed the final-drive ratio (not really, but bear with me), it did nothing for the transmissions 4 gears. So, in moving from Power to Economy, three of the ratios always stayed the same, the just effectively moved to the next notch on the shifter.

Really Just a 5-Speed

So, net effect: In Power mode, you—the driver—get a new lower first gear (for launch power), but lose the Economy mode’s top gear. In Economy Mode, you lose the pull of the low first gear, but get a higher top gear, for better mileage. In routine driving, none of this is going to matter much, cool as the TWIN-STICK system may seem.

TWIN-STICK was Cheap

But, TWIN-STICK looked cool, and by all accounts, was fun to play with. And, at about $100, the optional transmission didn’t add much to the bottom line. TWIN-STICK lasted until 1982 in the U.S., at which time Colt was redesigned, and the Champ was dropped from the Plymouth lineup. Though TWIN-STICK was completely unnecessary, and an odd add to a bargain-car lineup, we applaud the effort. We wish cars still surprised us with a little technically pointless fun. Click here for more fun classic-car ads, or here for more classic-car galleries and reviews.