[CGGorman]

Yeah, one of the fine quirks about the early (pre-'03) cars... They did that to be able to "pass" some very specific governmental CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) testing for manual shifting cars. In order to get the car to perform in the bracket they need, the secind gear start was required. In '03, they introduced the new engine and transmission which are both more efficient. Consequently, the first gear start became available to consumers.

There is no known way to disable the "feature". SCT claims they can't and Lincoln obviously won't...

In auto, the car ALWAYS starts in first. In SST, the car will start in second, but it will automatically downshift to first if the throttle is pressed beyond 60% while in second gear AND under a certain speed (Not sure what it is, though. Maybe 20mph). ...If you want to run around redlining in first, it'll let you... After that, first will be available until the vehicle's speed drops below (I think) 5 mph (though, it may be even lower than 5mph), at which point it automatically shifts to second again and you have to repeat the 60% thing.

At the 1/4 mile track, no one has been able to improve their times by using SST launches. The fastest way to get to the end of a 1/4 mile track is launching in auto and then switching it over to SST once in third to prevent the 3-4 shift during the last 100'. That assumes you have a 3.31 rear end. With the 3.58, you'll probably need the extra shift. Not sure, as I currently have the 3.31