When I bought my mini cooper last year the first thing that bothered me was the trucker style shifter with it’s enormous throw. I looked around and was not surprised to find lots of short shifters for sale.

1. -The problem was that to install these after-market shifters requires getting the car on a lift, dropping the exhaust, modifying the shifter case etc etc. none of which I was predisposed to do.
   

2. -I therefore decided to simply (and very effectively) shorten the shifter as it sat in the car.
   

3. -All done took me about 30 mins... all I had to buy was a half inch connector bolt and the correct thread die and handle (about $15 total)
   

4. -The throw has been reduced by about 30% and I can always increase or decrease it by swapping out the connector bolt with a shorter or longer one as I see fit.