Dog leg gearbox

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A dog leg gearbox is an unusual manual transmission layout, an up-over-up shift between first and second gear resembling the hind leg of a dog.

Typical 5-speed layout:5-speed Dog leg layout:

Dog leg layout gearboxes are usually found on performance automobiles because in road racing it is rare to shift into first gear other than for the initial start or exiting a pit lane.

Notable street cars to feature the dog leg layout are the BMW M535 and (Non-US) M3 E30, BMW 2002 Tii and Turbo, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 and 2.5-16, Porsche 914, early 911, 924 Turbo (all featuring Getrag gearboxes), Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, Vauxhall Firenza HPF and the Lamborghini Miura. A non-performance car to feature such a shift pattern is the Subaru 360. Also: Datsun 160J Hardtop SSS. A dog leg transmission has also been seen in odd places such as a 1980 Datsun 210 Wagon built during the 210/310 crossover or a Citroën 2CV.

Many Datsun/Nissan 200SX models utilized the dogleg shift pattern. The Transmission used in the american 200sx (not to be confused with european or japanese 200sx, which are completely different) is a popular swap for the 1968-1973 Datsun 510 (which came with a borg warner 3 spd auto or a 4spd manual w/ no overdrive.) as it bolts in only needing a modified cross member mounting.

The mid 70's Oldsmobile Cutlass with the 260 V8 had an optional 5 speed transmission that utilized the dog leg shift pattern.