Hand-operated gear shift device for a motor-vehicle gearbox

A hand-operated gear shift device for a motor-vehicle gearbox, comprising a stationary support casing and a gear shift lever supported on the support casing, the gear shift lever including

• a rod having an upper straight section,
• a first sleeve which is mounted on the upper straight section of the rod so that it can slide along the axis of this section between a lower end-travel position and an upper end-travel position, and is provided with a first stop element arranged to releasably engage a second stop element provided on the stationary support casing so as to lock the gear shift lever in a predetermined reference position, and
• guide and retaining means for guiding and limiting the sliding movement of the first sleeve between the lower and upper end-travel positions, wherein the first sleeve is also arranged to rotate around the axis of the upper straight section of the rod between a first angular position, in which the first stop element is aligned with the second stop element in the direction of sliding of the first sleeve, and a second angular position, in which the first stop element is rotated through a predetermined angle with respect to the second stop element, and wherein said guide and retaining means are also arranged to guide and limit the rotational movement of the first sleeve between the first and second angular positions, in such a manner that the movement of the first sleeve from the reference position to a normal operating position of the gear shift lever consists, in sequence, of a translation from the lower end-travel position to the upper end-travel position, of a rotation from the first angular position to the second angular position and of a translation. from the upper end-travel position to the lower end-travel position.