Ford MT75

Ford's MT75 — the rear-drive five-speed manual in the Sierra, the Scorpio and the Transit.

⚑ It is not the MTX-75, and the names are one character apart. The MTX-75 is a transverse gearbox for front-wheel-drive Mondeos and Focuses; the MT75 is longitudinal and sits behind an engine driving the rear wheels. They share nothing, and both have pages here — which is the reason to state it.

It is a heavy, torque-tolerant unit designed for vans as much as for cars, and it is what most rear-drive Ford conversions use for that reason.

Its known complaints are age rather than design: a worn release bearing heard as a rumble with the clutch up, and a notchy second when cold. Fluid specification matters more than owners expect — the wrong oil produces exactly that cold shift.

Parts are still good because the Transit kept it in production long after the cars had gone.