Where is the clutch pedal located on a manual 1998 Ford Contour?

Question

In the early/mid 2000s, my mother owned a manual transmission Ford Contour, and I got to drive it a couple of times in my early teens. Both she and I remember the clutch pedal being in the middle (BRAKE/CLUTCH/GAS going from left to right). Today I got into a discussion with my father and it has almost become a battle to the death, as he is 100% certain that the above is impossible, and I am 100% certain that although this doesn't seem to be standard, what both I and my mother recall is correct. I've looked around the web for pictures/manuals, but have found no proof. Can someone please provide me with evidence proving/disproving the clutch on a 1998 Contour being in the middle? (my sanity and honor depends on it)

-THANK YOU

Answer 1

I found a copy of the owners manual at http://justgivemethedamnmanual.com/ford/1998-ford-contour-owners-manual

It doesn't explicitly mention the location of the pedals (except for an unlabeled diagram on page 96). It seems extremely unlikely that Ford would have arranged the pedals differently from every other car on the road, and even less likely that they would do so and then not even mention it in the manual.

Answer 2

Beliefs

It's always amazing how sure humans are about facts that are 100% false, even when they have direct hands-on experience.

It's also a well known psychological phenomena that when more than one person believes the same thing, and interacts with others who share that same erroneous belief, that it increases the perceived certainty of that false claim by all members of the group. Before long, they all experience "100% certainty".

Answer

The clutch on the 1998 Ford Contour is on the left, the brake in the middle, and the gas on the right. I own one with over 150K miles.

Also, the manual, on page 96, shows a photo of the pedals, but it is not very clear either way, likely because it is a known standard.

Reference: the manual.