Photo: Ferrari
From 1947 to 2011, the best name in the business used to offer its customers with something Ferrari doesn’t offer today. Indeed, that’s a good ol’ manual transmission and a clutch pedal. And regardless of how much money you’re willing to spend on a brand new Prancing Horse, you can’t get a manual transmission.
Speaking to our friends at Motoring, chief technology officer Michael Hugo Leiters told the Australian publication to get over it already. A stick shift simply doesn’t cut it anymore in terms of get-up-and-go, not in the face of quick-shifting solutions such as a DCT. When asked if the manual will ever make a comeback in a road-going Ferrari, the answer was a bit fat "no."
Mr. Leiters further added: “Ferrari is design, performance, and state of the art technologies. There’s no manual transmission that can beat this performance and therefore we have decided to stay on the double-clutch gearbox.” In simpler terms, Ferrari cares about 0 to 60 more than how the car feelings like from the driver’s perspective. Then again, setting a car up for a tranny with a takeover rate of less than 10 percent is not exactly profitable for a low-volume automaker. Lamborghini and McLaren also agree to that.
The Italian manufacturer kept the manual alive until the naturally aspirated version of the California was replaced by the force-fed California T. Manufactured between 2008 and 2014, the non-turbo version of the California spawned three to five cars [sources vary] with a 6-speed manual transmission and an awe-inspiring gated shifter that goes like "click-clack."
In other words, that’s less than 1 percent of the total production of 10,000-something vehicles. As a business case, the stick shift doesn’t make too much sense for Ferrari. But for an enthusiast, the death of the manual transmission is nothing short of a crime against Enzo Ferrari’s sporting credo and legacy.
It’s heartbreaking that things will never be the same again for Ferrari enthusiasts, but life moves on. If, however, nostalgia kicks in, don’t forget that you have plenty of relatively new manual-equipped Ferraris to choose from, including V12 monsters such as the 599 GTB. If, however, you want something new with the soul of a Ferrari and a stick shift transmission, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Mr. Leiters further added: “Ferrari is design, performance, and state of the art technologies. There’s no manual transmission that can beat this performance and therefore we have decided to stay on the double-clutch gearbox.” In simpler terms, Ferrari cares about 0 to 60 more than how the car feelings like from the driver’s perspective. Then again, setting a car up for a tranny with a takeover rate of less than 10 percent is not exactly profitable for a low-volume automaker. Lamborghini and McLaren also agree to that.
The Italian manufacturer kept the manual alive until the naturally aspirated version of the California was replaced by the force-fed California T. Manufactured between 2008 and 2014, the non-turbo version of the California spawned three to five cars [sources vary] with a 6-speed manual transmission and an awe-inspiring gated shifter that goes like "click-clack."
In other words, that’s less than 1 percent of the total production of 10,000-something vehicles. As a business case, the stick shift doesn’t make too much sense for Ferrari. But for an enthusiast, the death of the manual transmission is nothing short of a crime against Enzo Ferrari’s sporting credo and legacy.
It’s heartbreaking that things will never be the same again for Ferrari enthusiasts, but life moves on. If, however, nostalgia kicks in, don’t forget that you have plenty of relatively new manual-equipped Ferraris to choose from, including V12 monsters such as the 599 GTB. If, however, you want something new with the soul of a Ferrari and a stick shift transmission, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Google News