The history of the automobile is a river that flows only forward. While we are accustomed to marveling at the silent operation of electric motors and seamless CVTs, today we should pause and honor the end of an era that many believed would last forever. The era of the five-speed manual transmission for full-size cars in the North American market has come to a definitive close. This is not a rumor or a temporary pause; it is a historical fact confirmed by the final assembly of the relevant models...