Six speed gearbox history

[Animal Mother]

The ABY must be one of the first production cars with a 6 speed as standard. Anyone know which was the first?

[dest]

I know the Cavalier Turbo had a 6 speed box as standard, first sold in October 1992

[silizium]

I think turbo calibra has 6 speed box. 1991?

[HPmuirt]

Dunno about first, but Getrag were making them in the early 1990's for cars like the BMW M3 and the Toyota Supra, both of which would be a contender for beating the S2 to a 6-speed box. (I know the Toyota had it in 1993 but I suspect the M3 didn't get it until around 95)

In the late 1980's Maserati were using both Getrag and ZF boxes, and various models had 6 speed boxes, shuch as the Shamal from 1989. Dunno who else was using the first ZF 6-speed boxes though.

In the 1980's there was the awesome Porsche 959 or course which was release in 1986 (I think) with a 6-speed box transaxle gearbox.

Before that, well my 1967 Triumph GT6 has 6 gears (although admittedly it is a 4-speed box with OD on 3rd and 4th, but that is still a single unit with 6 different forward ratios

Cheers n

Si

[dest]

I think turbo calibra has 6 speed box. 1991?

That was 1992 aswell as the Cav, but earlier in the year

[Keeper of The Kitten]

Lotus Omega/Carlton were equipped with six speed, same box as ZR1 Corvettes IIRC. They must be from around that same sort of time, I think?

[UrS4boy]

The ABY must be one of the first production cars with a 6 speed as standard. Anyone know which was the first?

Well according to the V-pages in KATE's family album, the CGR 6 speed in the S2 came into play at the same time as the ABY in 10/92. However, the CBL 6 speed in the 92 MY UrS4 came into production in 08/91, beating the CGR by over a year, and maybe, the Lotus Carleton, etc.

Maybe.

My North American 93 S4 has a CBD 5 speed. Bugga.

[Keeper of The Kitten]

Both the Carlton/Omega and Corvette ZR1 were first on sale in 1990 according to my investigations. Not sure if anything else pre-dates these.

[Nero]

I've read somewhere that the AAN-engined UrS4 was the first serie-car with standard 6 speed gearbox.
Germany is always first with introduction of a new German car. It always takes a while before we receive the new model in Holland, and they don't need to convert it to RHD. So maybe they introduced the UrS4 in the late 1990?

But I'm mostly on Audi-orientated websites, so don't know if it counts...

[AquaS2]

6 spd ZR-1 Box from Corvette in the Lotus Carlton, Geneva motorshow launched 1989..