A short shifter, also known as a short throw shifter, is the result of an automotive aftermarket modification of the manual transmissions' stick shift either by modification of the existing stick shift or, alternately, by the replacement of the entire part.
The purpose of the modification is to mechanically reduce time between the changing of gears while accelerating or decelerating, thus improving the automobiles' performance. The modification of the existing stick shift, also known as a manual gear stick, can take two forms: either the physical shortening of the existing stick shift, known in the industry as 'chopping' or bending.
Some major car manufacturers such as Subaru, Mazda and Porsche offer short shifters as stock modifications such as in the Subaru Impreza WRX, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Mazda Miata, and as an option such as in the Porsche 911.[1][2]