The Super Shift transmission was a manual

Manual transmission

A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...

 transaxle

Transaxle

In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....

 transmission developed by Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors

is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...

 in the late 1970's and used in a limited number of the company's road cars, most of which were manufactured in the 1980's. It was unusual in that it had 8 forward speeds in a 4x2 arrangement.

Overview

The Super Shift gearbox was developed from a standard four-speed manual transmission for use in the first generation Mitsubishi Mirage

Mitsubishi Mirage

Mitsubishi launched the Mirage as a three-door front wheel drive hatchback in 1978, as a response to the first fuel crisis some years before. It had a distinctive design with large windows and Mitsubishi's Super Shift transmission . A five-door joined the range in 1979...

, the company's first front wheel drive model. As the transmission was mounted beneath the engine, the gearbox needed to take power down from the clutch. It was not possible to do this directly as this would have meant that the gearbox rotated in the opposite direction to that required, and therefore the use of an extra 'idle' shaft was required. It was subsequently realised that this shaft could be modified as a separate 2-speed gearbox, which would be controlled by a secondary shift lever mounted alongside the main gear shift lever inside the cabin.

This resulted in a transmission with a typical 4 speed 'H' pattern shift mechanism, plus an additional 2 speed 'high-low' selector. This meant 8 forward gears in total. It was also possible to use the 2 speed selector in reverse, meaning that two reverse gears also existed. In the majority of cars, the 2 speed selector was labelled as 'Power' for the lower range, and 'Economy' for the higher range. A dashboard light system was used to indicate which mode was selected.

In practice, it was very difficult to use all 8 forward speeds in sequence as every second change required movement of both gear levers at the same time - this was almost impossible without using both hands. Many owners settled on using the transmission in low 'Power' mode the majority of the time, and only using the secondary selector to select high 'Economy' mode when in 4th gear, effectively creating a 5th gear from 4th 'high'.

Production of the Super Shift transmission ended in 1990 with the discontinuation of the Tredia

Mitsubishi Tredia

The Mitsubishi Tredia was a subcompact sedan built by Mitsubishi Motors from 1982 to 1990. Its name is supposedly derived from Mitsubishi's "Three Diamonds" logo...

 and Cordia

Mitsubishi Cordia

The Mitsubishi Cordia is a compact hatchback-coupé that was built by Mitsubishi Motors from 1982 to 1990. Its name is supposedly an amalgam of "cordorite" and "diamonds" from Mitsubishi's Three Diamonds logo...

 series of vehicles.

Usage

The Super Shift gearbox was fitted to the following vehicles:

• Mitsubishi Mirage
  Mitsubishi Mirage
  Mitsubishi launched the Mirage as a three-door front wheel drive hatchback in 1978, as a response to the first fuel crisis some years before. It had a distinctive design with large windows and Mitsubishi's Super Shift transmission . A five-door joined the range in 1979...
  
  /Colt
  Mitsubishi Colt
  The Mitsubishi Colt is a vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It was first introduced as a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback in the 1980s and 1990s...
  
  
• Mitsubishi Cordia
  Mitsubishi Cordia
  The Mitsubishi Cordia is a compact hatchback-coupé that was built by Mitsubishi Motors from 1982 to 1990. Its name is supposedly an amalgam of "cordorite" and "diamonds" from Mitsubishi's Three Diamonds logo...
  
  
• Mitsubishi Tredia
  Mitsubishi Tredia
  The Mitsubishi Tredia was a subcompact sedan built by Mitsubishi Motors from 1982 to 1990. Its name is supposedly derived from Mitsubishi's "Three Diamonds" logo...