Any Gen X-er or "elder millennial" who has had a conversation with a Gen Z-er about driving a manual transmission has likely come to the shocking revelation that rowing gears is becoming a lost art. There are several factors contributing to the declining interest in manual transmissions. Even when putting ease of use aside, nearly all supercars and hypercars come with semi-auto, multi-clutch sequential transmissions because they can shift much faster than a human. Technology has come to a point in which a manual transmission is more for driving pleasure than necessity or affordability.

Yet, driving pleasure is a factor that some people do not want dismissed out of hand. Despite being outnumbered by the general car buying audience, there is a passionate contingent of folks who want to preserve the purity of bangin' gears. Some automakers like Porsche and BMW are doing their part to keep the manual driving experience going, but Mini is taking it a step further. The maker of fan favorites like the John Cooper Works Mini has announced that it is opening a manual driving school.

MINI says the new driving school is open to "any drivers looking for the opportunity to learn to drive manual in an engaging and safe atmosphere." Where, exactly is that "safe atmosphere," we hear you asking? None other than the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, CA—also known as the Thermal Driving Club. The BMW Performance Center at that location already offers various driving experiences in everything from X5 SUV all the way up to a GT4 class BMW M4 Coupe.