Chrysler put the three-speed column-shift manual on the map back in the 1939 model year, with the "Remote Control" shifter setup in the '39 Plymouths. This rig allowed the use of a big, cushy bench ...

"Three on the tree" refers to the shift lever and transmission type, with three forward gears and one reverse. In this configuration, the lever was on the steering column, also called “the tree,” ...