Manual transmission speculator hype

The problem with your question is it will never happen.

 

It's difficult to say.
I'm not sure those who buy new ferraris and complain about the absence of manual box would really buy their cars with the manual.


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99% chance it wont...

and theyd take a hit...

 

As far as the 599 goes, it would not matter if Ferrari started making manuals again in the F12 or future cars.
It's true that the 599 is (currently) the last Ferrari manual, however, there will ALWAYS be just the handful of 599 manuals. That is, the manual is the rarity among 599s.
The only way the rarity and current values of 599 manuals would be effected is if Ferrari started making more 599 manuals again. Which is about as likely as them making more 250 GTOs.

 

I would love to see Ferrari make MT cars again.

Porsche can't even begin to keep up with demand for Cayman GT-4 and Boxster Spyders - both MT ONLY. And there are recent strong rumors that Porsche will reverse it's decision on PDK-only 911 GT3 cars too.

Regardless, whilst Porsche has affirmed their commitment to enthusiasts, its clear Ferrari only cares about wealthy Collectors & Posers - and they generally have little interest in anything that requires skill to drive. That means the rest of us have to fight over the remaining MT cars that wealthy collectors and prospectors are now snapping up to sell for huge profits later on.

Ferrari needs to bring out an MT-only Dino, just as Porsche has done with Cayman / Boxster to show they care about true enthusiasts (and their own brand). It would also end the insanity in prices for older MT Ferraris.

 

I believe the pressures of living up to Wall Street expectation is that you can "never say never". If their is substantial interest which can be monetized I firmly believe theoretically it could happen. If such were the case, I believe there would be a relevant interest depending on which specific car models are made in the future. It's certainly an interesting topic and If I for one would move mountains to make acquire such car. Cheers!

 

By the way, IF this were to happen it would have NO impact on the current stable of manual 599 values as they are still extremely rare and are outliers....

 

In true Ferrari style- they are the masters of blurring the lines- the 599 is not really the last manual. They did make some Californias in stick shift as well....

SM has said they won't make another stick shift car in several interviews. Even as applied to the supposedly coming Dino- which would be the natural place for stick shift.

The pressure on them now is tremendous, but they will make the money other ways. Stick shift is over for Ferrari.

 

Good point - I believe there were only 2 or 3 California MT cars, depending on who you talk to.

Regardless, I think it is imperative that Ferrari brings out a MT-only model, to prevent hording.

 

FYI Porsche is releasing a 911 dubbed the 911R. Will have a GT3 drivetrain + manual transmission.

Porsche gets the demand.

 

The 599 manual is so rare because no one wanted them when they were new!

I don't think there is any sort of clamor among new Ferrari buyers for manual transmissions. Used Ferrari buyers are a somewhat different story.

 

That's a very accurate point and I didn't want one at that time but was rather enamored to the F1 paddle shift.

 

Correct - used buyers are a different breed of driver than the buyers of new cars.

However, you also have to remember that at that time no one knew Ferrari was going to abandon MT all together. If Ferrari had made its intentions known, I bet sales of MT cars would have been much higher.

 

I disagree. Ferrari had already dropped the manual in the 612, and it was obvious to anyone who was paying attention that the days of the manual were limited.

 

Today's buyer for a manual 599 is more often a collector, would guess, who might also be a customer for a new manual F12 (as example) if pitched as a limited edition.

Thing is, no manual in the parts bin these days? 599 F1 & stick shared the same single-clutch gearbox, so easy enough to offer two options of gear change.

 

Good point - most people don't realize just how close MT and F1 are. There are documented conversions from one to the other on this site with models, such as the 360.

Don't think that is possible with current DCT cars, though; nor ECUs either.

 

Ferrari had already dropped 612s altogether - all OTOs were special order only. So, this would not be a good way to determine if MT was going to be eliminated in the next generation of cars.

 

1) I dare to suggest that I am faster with my F1 599 on the track than you with a manual 599 . And be sure, driving a 599 really fast needs both, skills and gutts. .

2) Ferraris interest is in the people who afford to buy new cars from them. What the used car guys think is, naturally, irrelevant .

3) The 599 F1 is really good. Much better than any manual transmission. AND: for normal driving you need "shifting skills" also, even more than with a manual transmission. Sit aside a guy and observe, whether the F1 shift is extremely smooth when pottering leasurely around or rather not. Then you will also understand, why one persons needs a new clutch after 30k miles, and the other still has the first clutch at 60 k miles with a lot of life left .

 

Good point by Don- its rare for a reason. I "knew" when I test drove a 2008 599 stick that was for sale and I could have bought at sticker price in 2009 that Ferrari was no longer going to make stick shift cars. It didn't influence me at all. I thought my 2008 F1 599 was a better car for actual driving. Just like BJJ points out above.

I also don't know if building a MT car would stop hoarding. I don't know if Ferrari sees its job as preventing this as well. I think as long as something is desirable, there will be those who will pursue it and they will have different goals. Also how will a MT stop hoarding? Do you mean cars being purchased by people who don't really know how to drive? You can drive a stick shift and not know how to really drive. You just know how to shift. They are not mutually exclusive but they are different things. I think if they made some limited models in MT, the usual suspects would get them and they would go into collections and you'd never see them. And if they made it an option a very tiny fraction of new orders would be stick shift and we would all shake our heads in bewilderment, but that's what would happen. Proof is thats exactly what did happen before.

 

Just to correct the record, while 612s were all "special order" they hardly "dropped" the 612 at all. In fact, the OTO and Sessanta represented a significant investment in the 612.

The main reason there weren't more OTOs had to do with the economics of selling a $300k+ car into a global economic crisis, not Ferrari's commitment to it.

 

The latter is quite the understatement.

There are many types of new buyers (the nouveau riche, poseurs, repeat customers...), but Ferrari marketing knows most want the F1. The thing that they all have in common is that they have enough money to disregard horrendous new-Ferrari depreciation.
(You are incorrect that "no one" wanted a manual 599: all of those cars were ordered with that specification.)

However, USED Ferrari buyers drive The Market, especially collectors.
Ferrari figured this out and supports it with its Classiche department.
Moreover, collectors and the used Ferrari market are responsible for the over-pricing of the new cars.

The collectors have perspective. Pay attention and one might learn something.

 

That is why I suggested that Ferrari should pursue what Porsche has done and offer an MT-only model. That should solve most of the concerns.

 

I'm not sure what you mean here. The 612 was available with a manual transmission. I have driven several of them.

 

The point Donv is trying to make is that Ferrari had already stopped making manual 612s in 2008 so the point made earlier that people did not know that the manual was dying and hence did not order more manuals in later years of 599 is incorrect in his opinion (an opinion that I share as well).