'I’ve Never Seen One Before:' Expert Goes to Junk Yard. Then He’s Stunned When He Finds This Rare Ford Fusion

Manual transmissions are getting harder to find these days. In fact, most modern-day drivers go their entire lives without ever driving one.

With only about 1% of new cars in the U.S. and Canada having a manual transmission, it's actually exciting for car enthusiasts to find one out and about, especially when it’s unexpectedly rare.

TikTok Creator Shares Surprising Junkyard Discoveries

The official TikTok account for Auto Parts City (@autopartscity), a salvage and recycling facility, posted a video of one of its workers showing off two interesting vehicles he found that day.

The first is a completely wrecked Ford Taurus, reportedly towed in by the sheriff’s department. Before the junkyard could do anything with it, the worker needed the VIN.

“This Ford Taurus just got towed in here by the sheriff's department,” the worker says behind the camera. “And we need to get the VIN number off of it to put it in our records.”

He tried checking the dashboard area near the windshield, where the VIN is typically visible. “We can't read the VIN number there,” he explains. The car was so damaged, the tag wasn’t even on the body anymore.

Eventually, he found it, on the inside of the detached driver door. “There we go; we got it. Now we can get this one stocked in,” he says.

For context, that VIN matters. Junkyards need it to confirm ownership, check for liens or theft, and report the vehicle's end-of-life status to systems like the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. Without it, they most likely can’t accept a junk car.

Manual Ford Fusion Sparks Curiosity

While the Ford Taurus' VIN was a bit harder to find, it was the second find of the day that really surprised the Auto Parts City worker.

“I just saw this Ford Fusion here,” he said, walking up to a light blue sedan. “And the first thing I thought to myself is, ‘This car has to be incredibly, incredibly rare.’”

Then, he reveals the uniqueness: “A Ford Fusion with a six-speed manual.”

He pauses. “How many of these did they make?”

It wasn’t a performance model or anything flashy. “It's not like it's anything special or fast or a sport model,” he adds. “It's a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder.”

He seems genuinely puzzled. “I honestly wonder how many of these Ford actually produced, ‘cause I’ve never seen one before,” he says.

What’s the Deal With the 6-Speed Ford Fusion?

That specific engine-and-transmission pairing doesn’t show up very often. Online, some users say their 2011 model had it. But, the general consensus is that the 6-speed paired with a manual transmission was mainly available in 2013–2014 models.

Even then, most came with the 1.6L EcoBoost engine, not the 2.5L naturally aspirated one. That makes the Fusion Auto Parts City found even more interesting.

And while Ford never mass-marketed it as a collector car, it’s possible some customers special-ordered these exact builds, making them extremely uncommon today.

One YouTuber, who happened to review his wife’s 2014 Ford Fusion SE with a 6-speed manual, had a similar reaction.

“This car is a little special to me … mainly because this is my wife's car,” he said at the start of the video. “It’s really weird … at this day and age to be driving a full-size sedan and having that six-speed manual.”

He pointed out how unusual it felt to “push a clutch in on a full-size sedan,” calling it strange but enjoyable. “It’s pretty unique,” he said. “This car is so incredibly smooth to drive. … It’s like the perfect blend of luxury and enthusiast in the same bunch.”

For him, that manual transmission gave the car an unexpected personality, something rare in sedans of that era.

Gallery: 2013 Ford Fusion

Commenters Try to Solve the Ford Fusion Mystery

In the comments section of the TikTok, users started guessing how and when this combo existed.

“Only made them from 8/13/2012 to 6/16/2014,” one commenter claimed, adding that they worked at a Ford parts manufacturer.

“Yes, they made both manual Fusions and Mercury Milans but only for the base models,” another wrote.

Someone else suggested flipping it: “Assuming there’s nothing crazy wrong with it, put the 6-speed Fusion on eBay.”

Another user chimed in: “IDK what’s more rare, this combo or the Escape with a 6-speed.”

Motor1 has reached out to Auto Parts City via TikTok direct message and Ford via email to learn more about how rare this Fusion really is.