F1 or 6-speed F430 Which did you choose?

Just looking to see how many guys on here have a 6-speed F430. I know that Ferrari is saying they have more F1s ordered than 6-speeds. I may be one of the few guys who loves the feel of running through the gears on a gated shifter. Does this make me one of the normal guys or one of the outcasts? ;-)

 

I ordered my 2005 with 3 pedals. We're both outcasts. Sorry.

Dave

 

Having three pedals makes you an "outcast"... or at least "abnormal"

When you see an F430 with a 6-speed tranny advertised, you'll often see it referred to as "rare 6-speed transmission"!

My F430 has two pedals and I like it better that way.

 

I had a 06 six speed, will be buying another later this year, another six speed.

 

I like F1 better.

 

roughly 10% of F430 owners. that is what Ferrari allocated.

 

i guess i have to make a second post. i have a 6 speed and for the most part i love it, but i hate the gate. it's too slow. appearance-wise it's fantastic.

 

Its interesting that Ferrari really did not improve the gated shifter between the 360 and the 430 { correct me if I am wrong on this}..they spent all their energy perfecting the F1 tranny, which is a BIG improvement over the 360....the manual on the 430 has a nice positive feel but the throws could be shorter and faster...also, going into 2nd is notchy, esp when cold.... the porsche 997 has a much nice stick shift tranny with very short throws that require minimum effort...........

 

LOL I agree with you there. The gated shifter is cool looking but it does make the shifting harder than it should be. I still prefer the 6 speed over the F1 just because I enjoy all aspects of driving a 6 speed including doing my own heel/toe. The tough shifting with the gate is not a big deal though as I have shifted racecars that were worse than the Ferrari gated shifter. One World Challenge Corvette I drove was next to impossible to downshift smoothly because it took so much effort to shift. This made braking and downshifting from 160 MPH off the back straight at Road Atlanta almost impossible. But that is a story for another day.

 

360: 6 speed is cool.
430: the F-1 rules!

 

yeah, don't get me wrong, i still prefer the 6 speed, because, you know, i don't have a vag!na.

 

I feel the F1 is what makes the F430 unique, and gives it that special feeling compared to other cars with crappy paddle shifters.

 

I went six speed manual, after ownership of a 360F1 I didn't wanted to be bored again with a Ferrari.

 

+1

 

Agree ! I had my 360 Mondena - manual & my current 430-spider F1.

 

mousecatcher- Any other parts you are missing?

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I've posted my story a million times, but:

I've always bought performance outliers, and I thought I loved the performance: the Mk IV Supra came out of nowhere and was ALOT faster than Porsches, Covettes etc. Same story with the E39 M5: faster than a 911 Carrera. I loved them both.

When the GT-R came out I had to have it. Fastest of them all. More than scary-fast, its confusing-fast. You floor it when a light goes green, and you pass two more stoplights before you can even get your foot of the throttle. "How the fork did I get HERE?" I asked more than once, finding myself entire blocks farther than I thought I was.

But the car was boring fast, boring slow. The fixed, low roof seperated me from the environment, and the DSG basically made me a passenger in my own car.

Looking back I realized that part of the joy of the Supra was having the roof off 8 months a year. My first M5 didn't have a sunroof (second did) but at least it had four power windows that always were open. Both cars were manual of course.



At that point I realized that I had probably been a closet convertible-aholic and didn't even know it. I looked around for manual convertibles. The GT-R (and heck even the old M5s) had ruined me for Boxter-level performance. I wanted something a bit faster. Didn't care for exterior/interior of the 'Vettes (also they're not an easy car to own outside of the US). Didn't care for appearance of the 911 cabrios. I overlooked an NSX targa. I was thinking maybe getting a GT3 motor in a Boxter. Then a good delivery slot for the Spider just landed on my plate.



So in answer to your question: I can't help thinking that the only people who should buy 430's are 1) convertible lovers, 2) manual lovers, and/or 3) posers. I THINK I'm in the first two categories...

 

Oh man, a fellow MKIV Supra owner. I owned one 5 or 6 years ago and loved that car. Taking the roof off and driving around all summer was a blast. I still look for one in this area for sale but they are either in really bad shape or too pricey for the car. Awesome cars though.

Interesting note about the only way people should buy their F430s. My dad is the one who speced my current car. He called Ferrari of Atlanta one day in 2005 and asked if they had a F430 available. Of course they didn't at that time but they called him a week later saying a spot came open but he would have to make the decision on the car that day. He said okay as long as it is a 6-speed he can get. And luckily for him it was. Then later in 2006 he did the same thing again but wanted on the list for the 599. He had one of the first spots in the area for a 599. When it came time to finalize the order he chose a 6-speed. Well he waited and waited for the 6-speed to go into production and it never did. About a year after he placed the order did his car finally go into the production phase. It seems Ferrari expected most of their clients would order F1s with the 599 and didn't do their homework to get one that would work. Who knows. He got his 6-speed and loves it. I guess that is where I get my love for the manuals from.

 

taz - touche!

 

I have a manual 430. The shifter's not perfect, but it works well. It's notchy at times, but not too bad. Actually, the more aggressively you drive the car, the smoother and better it works. If I could change anything, I'd want slightly shorter throws (but not too short) and shifter stops for that nice solid feel.

With regards to F1 vs. stick, well.. I looked long and hard for the right manual 430 (coupe). I could've had a lot easier time finding an F1. So, that says something about how much I wanted the stick. I don't care about the performance deficiency, I enjoy shifting the car and blipping the throttle on downshifts. Plus, I wanted the gated shifter.. it's a special shifter for a special car. Though simple, it beautifully mechanical in its design and operation, and I love that. I can't even imagine a shift boot in a Ferrari, it's just wrong.

The F1 is cool, but I don't think I could be happy with the standard F1 box. Though it's faster than a manual shift, it's not "wow" fast. The Scuderia's Superfast 2 box.. well that's different.. it feels and sounds like an "F1" shift. So for me, it'd have to be a Scuderia or a manual 430. Yet, impressive as the Scuderia is, I know I'd still miss the manual.

 

I ordered mine with the stick, I drove the F1 but still prefer the manual for the street. The shifting can be a little notchy at time but is infinitely better than my 328.
Also remember that these are high speed GT sports cars not drag racers.

 

08 spider with F1

 

mousecatcher- Nice to see somebody here with a sense of humor. Cheers.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I am into technology so I bought a 430 instead of a 360 and an F1 instead 6 speed....

A friend has a 430 6 speed and it is fun to drive but I like my F1...when I want to shift I drive my old school 68 Shelby!

my 2 cents

 

I was fortunate to have owned both and am totally glad I waited for over 3 years for my manual tranny to be ordered. My 360 was also a three pedal car!