Posted by Joe Divito on July 24, 1998 at 07:31:42:
I was browsing through the Chilton's book on the Maverick/Comet where I read an interesting bit of information. On page 185, they give a general description of the types of automatic transmissions used. In addition to the C4, from 1970 to 1971, the Maverick was also offered with a C4S semi-automatic transmission. The C4S was a manually operated power shift transmission, similar to the C4 except that you manually selected the forward gears instead of the transmission automatically doing the shifting. The vacuum diaphragm, throttle rod, governor, and the inner/outer downshift lever assemblies were deleted.
Although it didn't sound quite as sophisticated as Chrysler's Power Stick (don't quite remember exactly what they call the thing) that lets you choose to do the shifting yourself, it sounds quite similar. The only difference is that the C4S didn't give you a choice of automatic or manual modes. You basically got a manual without the clutch (more like an automatic without the auto). It didn't seem to have caught on at the time (judging from how long Ford offered it), but perhaps that's because Ford (and the Maverick) was just slightly ahead of its time!
Has anyone actually seen a Maverick with one of these transmissions? I was a little too young at the time (three years old) to remember, but I have never seen one, and never heard of it being offered in any other Ford product.