Driver Training Car

[Curti]

When I was a kid back in the early 50's my dad was a Chrysler Plymouth salesman. One day he came home with a new car that had dual controls. That is to say there was a steering wheel gas brake etc. on both sides.

It was engineered to let the student driver drive the car, but if an emergency situation was encountered, the teacher was able to take control of the car. Does any one remember this or have a picture of same?

[Dwight Romberger]

It's how I learned to drive in the high school driver training program. The car was a brand new 1970 Mustang fastback.

The only control the trainer (swimming teacher) had was a brake.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Dwight Romberger (see edit history)

[capngrog]

I took the driver training program in high school as well. We had Ford 4-door sedans, and the only control the driving instructor had was a brake, which he used frequently.

Although a very good program, I don't think that "Drivers' Ed" (Drivers' Education) is offered in public schools any more.

Cheers,

Grog

[West Peterson]

Although a very good program, I don't think that "Drivers' Ed" (Drivers' Education) is offered in public schools any more.

Grog

That is clearly evident. When I moved to Ohio, and had to take the driver's test to get an Ohio license, it was little more than a reading test.

[John348]

I remember seeing a pictures of a car with dual steering controls a few years ago, I think maybe in an old Popular Mechanics magazine. I might even have it around here I will give a look later today. I don't recall what make of car it was.

I too had the extended brake pedal on the driver ed car I was in. It was that mid-70's design Nova four door sedan,,,,,, when was the last time you saw one them on the road? I remember the top of the quarters were rusting out and it was a rather new car

[R W Burgess]

I took the driver training program in high school as well. We had Ford 4-door sedans, and the only control the driving instructor had was a brake, which he used frequently.

And, we had screaming in the backseats, as we had 2-3 students on each run. I think our car was a 63-64 Savoy, straight shift. Hey, do you know that's the best theft proof car to own in cities now? The crooks can't drive a straight shift!

They were still having lessons here in Virginia about 5 years ago, do not know about now. It was usually the Phy. Ed. teacher doing the training.

[rocketraider]

I was a Driver's Ed student aide in 1974. Our high school had a driver's ed track and they needed people to ride along with the students on the track part of DE. One instructor would take 3 of them out on the highway part, we had two in each car on the track with the other instructor communicating thru the car radio. All we had was a brake pedal.

What I could never figure out was why the smallest kid, who had never been behind the wheel of a car, would instinctively go for the biggest DE cars we had- a Dodge Royal Monaco (big ugly caramel beige thing with an emerald green interior and roof) and a Delta 88 that had paisley cloth seats. One kid with an Afro the size of a peach basket got his metal pick hung in those paisley seats and the school wouldn't give him his DE card uuntil he paid for fixing the seat.

We also got a 73 LeMans sedan that my buddy and I saw had dual exhaust sticking out under the bumper. Popped the hood and there was a 455. For some reason we only had that one a couple of weeks. Official story was the dealer recalled it because they'd sold it, but we figured they had mistakenly sent us that big-inch Pontiac.

Then there was the bright yellow Vega wagon the Chevy dealer sent us. That was a hoot, watching those kids clamber in and out of the back seat to switch drivers. Had one kid who was 6'6" and could barely fit in it. His knees were all up in the front seat backs.

[Bleach]

Wayne, what's a straight shift? I've never heard of that term used on Mopars or anywhere else.

[John Byrd]

Bleach, I've ran into the same problem here that Wayne has with you.... straight shift ! That must just be a Southern term, that's what any manual shift (with a clutch) car was called in Tennessee too ! Now, for the rest of you that may not have seen one, here is our 54 Studebaker Drivers Training car we owned back in 1989 (it was a Nashville/ Antioch area car). Sadly, I never completed it, but sold it to a friend in Tennessee that then sent it to another gent in Kentucky. I wonder if it still exists.

[Bleach]

That's what I thought it could have meant. For a while I thought it was some unusual Mopar shifter option that didn't catch on.

[Guest Skyking]

When I moved to Ohio, and had to take the driver's test to get an Ohio license, it was little more than a reading test.

West, was this commom practice in other states? Did you already have a valid license from another state?

[Curti]

Bleach, I've ran into the same problem here that Wayne has with you.... straight shift ! That must just be a Southern term, that's what any manual shift (with a clutch) car was called in Tennessee too ! Now, for the rest of you that may not have seen one, here is our 54 Studebaker Drivers Training car we owned back in 1989 (it was a Nashville/ Antioch area car). Sadly, I never completed it, but sold it to a friend in Tennessee that then sent it to another gent in Kentucky. I wonder if it still exists.

YES, this is what I remember, only it was a Chrysler or a Plymouth. If the car was never finished, I know a couple of rabid Studebaker guys that like it! That is a four door that's worthy of a restoration.

[knee-action]

Google: Driver Training Car. Click on Images. Picture of a late model car with two steering wheels in the middle of the seventh row down.

[Luv2Wrench]

My 15 year daughter just completed a two hour session in a modern car with dual controls. We will pay for several more of these before she takes her drivers test. She drives with us a lot, but two hours of instructor directed driving is money in the bank.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

In the '50s, our school had those.

Also, some rural mail carriers used the same type gismo for their route.

Ben

[PONTIAC1953]

i took driver's ed & driver's training at santa monica high school in 1972, they used 1971 or 1972 dodge darts and plymouth valiants, they had only the dual brake pedals so the instructor could stop the car if needed.

[Dave@Moon]

That is clearly evident. When I moved to Ohio, and had to take the driver's test to get an Ohio license, it was little more than a reading test.

Now in Ohio new drivers have to take driver's ed classes as a condition of getting the license, including classroom and road training. Most of the cars have single controls.

BTW, I had my driver's ed class in a dual control 1975 Plymouth Valiant. I don't remember the car much (except for the stupid "gas saver" light where the left hood-mounted turn signal indicator would glow solid if I used too much throttle), but the instructor was gorgeous!

[capngrog]

Modern Drivers' Ed

Cheers, and Merry Christmas,

Grog

[Skylark4367]

I took driver's ed in 1978. Our school had two then-new cars, a V6 four-door Skylark and a V8 four-door LeMans. We all wanted to drive the LeMans because of the V8. Both cars had a brake pedal on the passenger side but no steering wheel.

We also had simulators in the classroom. The dashboards, steering wheels and instrument panels were from mid-1970's Darts. There was a screen above the dashboard that projected driving scenes that students were supposed to "drive" through and react to.

If I remember correctly, the driver's ed teacher's nickname was "Crash".

[Spinneyhill]

I remember dual control Morris Minors here in NZ. They weren't in use by the time I learnt around 1972. My father "taught" me to drive in the family car (1967 Cortina) which I managed to jam in 3rd one time (manual column shift).

[cahartley]

When I was in Drivers' Ed in 1968 we had a Chevy dealer in town who supplied cars.

The only modification they made was to install a brake pedal on the passenger side.......just in case.......

[Fleek]

We had the cheapest 4 door 57 Chevys available as drivers ed cars. They had the extra brake pedal only. Most of us farm boys already knew how to drive ,but we could get our license a year earlier in Texas at that time if we took the class so it was very popular.

[intimeold]

I don't remember being around any Factory Driver Training Cars, in my days. But while working at a Ford dealership in the early 1970's; I got the job of installing a right hand brake and ignition switch; in all of the cars from a local high school, driver's training program.

I don't remember where the master cylinder assembly came from; but it was mounted on a steel base with a pedal attached. All of the cars were full sized Fords, Galaxies, probably.

Mounting the master cylinder assembly was the easy part; the hard part was running separate brake lines. The school district wanted to use the system out of their previous cars, probably 1966 Fords, which had single cylinder, master cylinders, (if I remember). Well, I think I was first mounting them in 1970 Fords; which had had that time dual master cylinders, 4 wheel drum brakes. So I had to engineer a system to make it work.

They did get me a dual master cylinder, right control; but all the lines had to be made; of course out of steel lines, not copper. And plumbed to make everything work.

It was quite a job for a 19 year old; and working flat-rate. But they paid me hourly for this. The older technicians, didn't want to touch this job; they could make more money doing tune-ups.

It wasn't bad, just time consuming.

None of those cars had dual steering.

intimeold

[Curti]

If anyone has a picture of a pre 1955 MoPar with two steering wheels similar to the Studebaker posted above I would appreciate it.

[W MacDonald]

The attached photos were scanned from "Automobile Quarterly", Volume XXIV, Number 2 (1986). It shows a 1949 Dodge Coronet driver training car with dual controls. At least at the time, this car was owned by Paul W. Goss, Jr. The accompanying article is about Dodge automobiles after the purchase of Dodge Brothers by Chrysler in 1928 and doesn't offer any details about the driver training car.

[NTX5467]

I was watching some of the replays of Mecum Auctions earlier this morning. One of the "fun cars" at the auction was a '32 Ford coupe, chopped some, a flown flathead V-8, AND dual controls. Took two people to drive it as the clutch and brake were on different sides of the car, but with two steering wheels. Only one throttle pedal, on the passenger side. It had lots of lettering on it, from "Tijuana Taxi" to "Student Driver". You can probably find some pictures of it by registering on the Mecum website. And, it sold!

When I did DE in '67, it was in the summer from the local high school. Instructors ranged from coaches to other teachers that did it consistently each year. Seems like there was a Plymouth Fury III, a Chevy Impala, and I was in a '67 Rambler Ambassador 4-dr sedan. There were usually 4 people in the car, including the instructor, who had the single brake pedal on his side of the floor.

My father was a DE instructor in his earlier teaching years. The cars were "cherished" back then, on loan from local car dealers. They were generally well cared for, so the dealer would continue donating cars for the school programs. As a result, they were easier for the dealers to re-sell as "low mileage" current model year cars. The manufacturers might have given the dealers incentive money to provide the cars, too.

The year before I did DE in the summer, via the local school district, they hade '67 Plymouth Fury IIIs and Chevy Impalas. When I got there in '68, it was an AMC Ambassador 4-dr sedan, all with the "standard V-8". In some cases, we did evaluations of how others drove, as we were in the back seat. Usually three students and one instructor, with the brake pedal on the right of the floor.

Some of the football coaches did DE in the summer. In some cases, on their longer-distance drives, they'd stop at a Dairy Queen (or similar) for soft drinks, sometimes even getting "seat time" waiting in the drive-thru lane.

In the '80s, our school district took bids from local dealers to supply the cars for the DE program. Not all dealers bid on those things, usually just one who wanted the students to drive THEIR brand of vehicles. Not sure if there are any school district DE programs left, leaving it to parents or driving schools to fill that void.

Just some memories,

NTX5467

Edited December 26, 2014 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[Bill Stoneberg]

but the instructor was gorgeous !

I took Driver's training in the late 60 with a Drivers Ed teacher who made a point of putting his hand on your knee all the time. If nothing was said, his hand would advance up the thigh. Made for an interesting class trying to pay attention to him and your driving. I was never so happy to get done with that class. BTW, he was not the gym teacher but an english teacher.

[Curti]

The attached photos were scanned from "Automobile Quarterly", Volume XXIV, Number 2 (1986). It shows a 1949 Dodge Coronet driver training car with dual controls. At least at the time, this car was owned by Paul W. Goss, Jr. The accompanying article is about Dodge automobiles after the purchase of Dodge Brothers by Chrysler in 1928 and doesn't offer any details about the driver training car.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]287957[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]287958[/ATTACH]

Thank You W McDonald. a fond memory indeed.

[Roger Frazee]

My high school drivers ed car was a 66 Galaxy 500 with "three on the tree." Our instructor felt strongly that drivers education should include learning to drive a stick. Years later, I taught my son to drive in my pickup with a manual shift. Those who never learn to drive a stick shift are truly deprived of one of life's simple pleasures.

[Guest Skyking]

Today's cars drive so easy that I would bet 95% of the drivers today would never be able to drive any of our old cars. They wouldn't know how to compensate for brakes, steering, etc. They'd be lost!

[Dandy Dave]

All my Drivers ED was down on the farm. Learned to run Tractors, Trucks, and all kinds of equipment well before I was legally old enough to drive. Dandy Dave!

[cahartley]

My high school drivers ed car was a 66 Galaxy 500 with "three on the tree." Our instructor felt strongly that drivers education should include learning to drive a stick. Years later, I taught my son to drive in my pickup with a manual shift. Those who never learn to drive a stick shift are truly deprived of one of life's simple pleasures.

The Driver's Ed car had an automatic tranny.

As far as I can remember that was the ONLY automatic equipped car I drove until I was 27 years old and drove a car with an automatic which belonged to my, soon to be, wife.

I drove standard shift personal vehicles exclusively until I was in my mid fifties when I got sick of shifting.

Now I have 5 old cars in which all I do is shift....... .......and love it.

Go figure.......

[rocketraider]

Our DE cars didn't have separate brake hydraulic systems. We had a pedal that was clamped to the car's regular brake pedal and attached to a swing-arm bracket under the passenger side dash. I count myself lucky I only had to use it or take the steering wheel a couple of times that whole year.

"Straight shift" or (around here) "straight drive" is common reference for any stick shift car- even newer ones. I've heard "standard shift" (in the days when automatics were an extra cost luxury) and "standard stick" in some areas of NC. Also heard a stick car referred to simply as "gears".