The standard ones, of course (early) PNDSLR PRNDLR PRNDS PRNDIL PRND2L (later,starting in the 1950s) PRND(1)D(2)L PRND21 even PRNDL(2)L(1) According to one posting here, also PRNDGr(!!)LR--Gr meaning Grade. Others: RN1234D (5-speed Austin America automatics!!) Mercedes Benz and Honda tend to have selections whose selected gfears for each ends at best in second..in short, no "1" hold, and in some cases no 2-3 shift. Here's a description (Merdeces Benz 4-spd.automatics as tradioanll installed) PRN432 Then PRND31,etc. Truck transmissions are more complicated (off road..) the Allison HT70's, AT545's,etc. with their hyphenated gear-descrtpitve lever selections. For instance.. R,N,306-3-5,3-4,1-2 (HT70) R,N,2-5,2-4,2-3,1 (AT545) (Go to allisontransmission.com, get Adobe (tm) Acrobat Reader then download the operators manuals for as many as you want to read all of THEIR unsual and very serviceable shift patterns.) WHich brings me to: Bus automatic transmissions selections: For many years, transits used only 2-speeds--either SPicer (with the selecitons written out in full-see below) or Allison (VH/VS-2-6/8 series) (with the usual abbreviations). The selectors were DIRECTLY directionional, with NO other postions than just Forward--just one. Like-- (Spicer) FORWARD NEUTRAL REVERSE Allison: F N R Those positons also went for the later (1966-1967 at oldest) overdrive three speed automatics, but only with the F-N-R patterns as before. (Maybe there was a semi-automatic clutching thing). Later the RND21 (Allison/GM V730) all the way to today's hi tech, ultra sophisticaeed B 400-600 series with the little panel-buttons like so: R [mode] N [^]-for upshift D [V] for downbshift :) The above LARGELY applies to transit buses.. School buses used mostly the various medium Class 6 Allsion off roasd and "trashtruck" semi-automatics, the HT70 series (3-6,3-5,3-4,and 1-2 of the gear selecitons) or HT545 (1,2-3,2-4,2-5) or the M643 4-speed auto, kinda (think Hydramastic) taking General Motors full circle on automatics, (forward gear selection varying). Anyway, especially as this is a automobile newsgroup, I'd like to know of the more odder car automatic shift patterns Just to share some more.. A friend I know had a Jeep with this: R N D 3 1-2 Plus two-peed transfer case :-) Some of those "double drive"(D2, D1), variaitons are interesting..the little dot, big dot, :double-D" being one and there is even a P R N 2D1 L I saw as a kid once. RN21L(a la the Autmatic Stickshift utilized in the 1960s-1970s by VW). Thnderbird used the following twos-peed control..RNDrLo(like such). -------- The old DAF Variomatic (infinite-ratio belt drive - it was a proto-CVR system) had a Forward Neutral Reverse lever, with just arrows for the indication. My grandfather owned a 66DL which would frequently die as it was put in Forward mode. He habitually started it in gear with a very dangerous jump forward as the engine fired. I encountered a later one of these cars, badged as Volvo 66GL (I dunno what constituted the Grandiosity of its Luxury - more cheap fake plastic woodwork, probably), and this had a more normal PRND selector, though P was quite useless as the parking pawl would stick horribly. (The handbrake was also quite useless, so parking was rather precarious.) That 66GL had a cut-out switch so you couldn't start it in D, but with automatic choke being what it was would also frequently die when put in gear. "Try Reverse." "Bloody hell!"