Ferrari manual transmissions RIP

[Motor]

Ferrari click-clack manual transmissions, RIP

Whatever happened to the Ferrari manual?

With the arrival of the new 2012 California, Ferrari no longer offers the stick-shift. Only one UK buyer has ever ordered the manual Cali, everyone else - all 260 of them last year - picked the twin-clutch auto 'box.

It's the same across the board. Ferrari's UK arm has never sold a manual 599 in its five years on sale. So we're hardly surprised that newer models such as 458 Italia and FF come with the auto 'box as standard.

Who's to blame?

Surely Messrs Alonso and Massa. The obsession with paddle-shifts - flappy paddles, whatever you call them - started on the race track. Joe Bloggs sees his F1 heroes tugging at levers to change gear and assumes his road car is faster as a result.

But manufacturers love automated transmissions too. For starters, they can charge more for them, and if they ultimately replace manuals they can streamline their production processes. At the supercar end of the market they offer brutally fast gearchanges which a manual 'box could never rival (Lambo's new Aventador ISR 'box bangs home cogs in just 50ms in Corsa mode).

One of the hidden benefits of automatic transmissions is of course their ability to reduce CO2 emissions, at least on paper. In the official tests a twin-clutch or torque converter auto can be programmed to shunt said supercar into sixth or seventh gear as quickly as possible, boosting mpg and throttling CO2 emissions.

Goodbye.

[atrac7GTS]

^that's a gorgeous interior.

i guess shifting times truly do benefit from a well developed automatic transmission

still, going into a turn and having to downshift properly and back out is something that can never be replaced. being able to toy with a clutch is as close to you can get to true control over a vehicle

[ajh1717]

I've said it before and I'll say it again; true manuals have no place on supercars.

[The__J__Factor]

Twin-clutch ftw!

The only way it could be better is intelligent shifters or something. Like if the paddles knew that faster flips mean faster shifting or holding the paddle down = smooth or slight slip. Hold both down = coast/neutral.

[jlitman]

Originally Posted by atrac7GTS

still, going into a turn and having to downshift properly and back out is something that can never be replaced. being able to toy with a clutch is as close to you can get to true control over a vehicle

Someone probably once said something similar when he realized going down the road in a car just doesn't feel the same as riding on a horse.

Originally Posted by The__J__Factor

Twin-clutch ftw!

The only way it could be better is intelligent shifters or something. Like if the paddles knew that faster flips mean faster shifting or holding the paddle down = smooth or slight slip. Hold both down = coast/neutral.

You can definitely tune shift firmness by TPS and load (no need for a valve body change on the Z or the IS-F!), so something like that is probably very do-able.

[atrac7GTS]

Originally Posted by jlitman

Someone probably once said something similar when he realized going down the road in a car just doesn't feel the same as riding on a horse.

that's such a stupid analogy.

[jlitman]

It's a stupid lament.

But maybe comparing going from analog to digital music would be more apt...

[GSBoek]

Well we can kiss misshifts goodbye I suppose.

[GSBoek]

Oh and slipping the clutch to land lift.