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The squeaky wheel gets the grease, or at least gets the manual transmission. I reported recently about a Change.Org petition started by a Ford Bronco enthusiast asking Ford to include the 7-speed manual transmission with the off-road Sasquatch package.

Ford must’ve listened to the more than 11,000 people who signed that transmission petition because according to a source at Ford, the company has done an about face and will offer the seven-speed manual with the Sasquatch package. The Squatch package (as I like to call it) will be one of the most popular package additions for consumers and this breaking news will surely be well received by the Bronco enthusiasts.

And as we know, the orders for the Ford Bronco and the Bronco Sport have been impressive. So, kudos to Ford for listening to the consumer. It got me thinking about other petitions that have been done, as well as other things we could maybe ask Ford for, as they approach the turnover of the 2020 model year and look toward the 2021 model year and beyond.

Indeed, these next couple of years are set to be transformative ones for the Blue Oval. Now, let’s look at a couple other “petitions” we ask of Ford.

#NotAMustang – The Mustang Mach-E
At the beginning of this year (pre-pandemic) I was pretty up in arms over the use of the name of Mustang on Ford’s Mach-E, all-electric crossover. Of course after some perspective, there's more important things going on.

I was never opposed to an all-electric Mustang. No, in fact I think one of those would be awesome, as we’ve seen with the Cobra Jet 1400.

What I take great offense at, and still have not changed my opinion about, is that the Mustang name should not be used on a crossover. It bastardizes the most iconic badge Ford has. The Mustang is the longest consecutive running nameplate in the auto industry.

It’s important to so many enthusiasts. And when Ford dropped that pony logo on the Mach-E many Mustang enthusiasts took it personally. So I did start the #NotAMustang petition. We got more than 16,000 signatures and it made some national news.

But still the Mach-E continues as a Mustang. I guess the Bronco enthusiasts got their way, but the Mustanger community doesn’t? Not sure. But let’s keep the petition going. Here’s a link to it.

Bring Back The V8 Raptor
I wrote an open letter to newly appointed Ford CEO Jim Farley, who is known to be a fan of V8s and muscle cars (see my above plea, please sir!). In it, I asked him to bring a supercharged V8 to the Raptor.

Of course at the time I wrote that, I had it in good authority that this was already happening. And just a few weeks later it was announced that the Predator V8 engine from the Mustang GT500 would be included in the 2021 Raptor.

So hey, we are at least getting somewhere with some of our “demands” to Ford, aren’t we?

Give the Mach 1 a Shaker hood
I broke the news last year that the Mach 1 would make a valiant return and replace the GT350 and Bullitt in the Mustang lineup. This news was met with much jubilation and most enthusiasts loved everything they saw from the Mach 1, including 480 horsepower V8 engine and the manual transmission.

The only real criticism I heard from some was the lack of a Shaker hood on the upcoming iteration. And I agree. It would look better and hold true to the classic Mach 1 if it had a Shaker hood.

So hey, someone start a petition and let’s get it circulated. Let’s have our voices heard!

So there’s my quick list, and I always appreciate a chance to rehash the #NotAMustang debate. I won’t concede on that point. In fact, I like to try to be the voice of the Ford consumer, whether that means F-150, Bronco or Mustang. Sure I’m a Mustang historian, and author of the book Mustang by Design, but here at Torque News, I cover lots of topics regarding the Blue Oval.

EDIT: Ford has finally confirmed this story to be true and released more information on the manual transmission.

What would you like to petition Ford to do? Leave me a comment and maybe I’ll do a story on it and who knows maybe it will become a reality, like the manual transmission for the Bronco Sasquatch.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.