Last Manual Trans Ferrari

Am I wrong, or is the 599 the last manual trans Ferrari made? And it is on the way out if not already gone.
Question ... am I the only one who thinks it's a sad state of affairs when the most revered sports car company of all time is now making only "automatics"? Yes, I know they shift faster and enable lightning quick launch control systems. I'm talking about the art of shifting, heel & toeing, matching revs, etc.
Just the opinion of a (manual) Mondial 3.2 owner, and a Europa Twin Cam owner.
Any opinions? Let 'em fly!

 

Ya know, I miss snail mail. It was fun opening up my mail box every day and looking through all that junk mail, bills, and hand written letters. Now, it gets delivered directly to my computer and neatly separated. How boring.

I miss white out. You know, that stuff that smelled good and you dabbed on paper when you typed a mistake. Today, we have spell check. How boring.

I miss pay phones. It was fun to look for a phone, make a call, and have the operator tell you how many coins to put in. What fun to look for extra change in the bucket! Now, we just push symbols on a touch screen on your cell phone. How boring.


With every generation, there are changes and new technology. 95% off all Ferrari's in existence are manuals. Isn't that enough?

 

When I found out about ferrari no longer making manual transmission a part of ferrari just left. Nobody else can make that gated shifter the way they did and when you are going threw the gears you hear the metal clanking of the gated shifter. I truly miss the manual transmission and think that the F1 is great but the manual, (especialy the way Ferrari made it) was so iconic and just wonderful to drive.

We actually own a 599 manual transmission and absolutely love it. We have owned really just about every modern ferrari and I don't know about my dad but in my opinion that 599 with the manual is the best car we have ever owned. This is comparing to really every modern day sports car including the 458. I enjoy that manual with a proper V12 engine just roaring threw the gear.

So the answer is no, you are not the only person sad and in my case even devastated that the manual transmission is gone in Ferrari.

RIP manual transmissions, you will be missed

 

There are a few manual trans Californias in Europe. But the 599 was probably the last since less than a dozen or so Calis came with it.

I think it's cool that Ferrari is staying current. I don't mind that the manuals are goig away since the new cars have so much power and technology to not have a manual.
One of the best sounds I've heard was a 458 accelerating and the sounds of the lighting fast gear changes one after another.
This is my opinion and I know many people on here disagree.
TheMayor said it perfectly, we advance in technology and we gain something that simplifies a complex task. Manuals aren't obsolete. You can still find a manual car for sale like a 550 or 308. Those cars don't don't have thousands of computers and a manual fits them perfectly. I don't think a manual would fit in a 458.
That being said, I like Ferrari manual transmissions and the sound of the clack is the best (so I've been told). I think Ferrari lost something but I'm not sure many people would've got a manual anyway. Just look at the manual Calis for sale in Europe. They sit forever.
My 2 cents piled into an unorganized post that I hope you guys can comprehend.

 

I am not a fan of a lot of modern day technology. I would prefer a world without home computing, email, F1 transmissions, cell phones, etc...

I begrudgingly accept these things because I have no choice except for leaving society for a cabin in the woods, which i dont want to do either.

 

How could we have missed that obvious analogy! Rowing up and down the gears in a three pedal V12 Ferrari is analogus to using white out or getting snail mail!

Bob, come on, although I see your point that's a little much.

 

Mmmmmm. Whiteout smell.

There's something about the cick clack of the gated shifter. Love it in my 360.
I'm not ENTIRELY out of favor with F1 shifter technology... it seems the Gated shifter was the domain of the exotic. Now, every BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, etc. all have the same paddles on the wheel. It just seems to diminish the exclusivity of the technology..

btw, a gated 599 or California is definitely on my wish list.

 

I'm hoping it follows the history of the digital watch vs. the analog hands on the watch face.
At first, everyone was excited about the new digital watches that came out in the 1970's.
But after a few years, the novelty wore off and almost all the watch manufacturers went back to analog displays.

Maybe most sports cars will be manual stick-shifts 20 years from now.
.

 

+1

 

First of all this reply is just my opinion only.

I dont think its sad. I just think its just what will sell their product which Ferrari is in business for.
As for the 599, well the public determined what was the better transmission for THAT car as it was made in very low numbers for the year 2007.
The 599 was designed around the F1 tranny.. 575 Mike and son are proof that they can live with the manual tranny but are obviously in the minority per the sales of 599s with a true manual. If more people would have ordered more manual 599s would we have a manual 458/GTO? who knows.
Ferrari and most supercar makers have abandoned the manual for a reason,;is it sad, maybe but these 600+hp cars require constant concentration whereas a true manual takes away from. Does it take away from the drivers experience, well it depends on how you look at it. I liken my 599 to driving a video game at times,lol but to me its fun and if you dont drive a manual transmission everyday you will not be as good with just your W/E or fair weather car IMO.

Know I know all of the above can be described as BS because you can still get a true manual in all Corvettes including the mighty ZR1;Porsche, well up until 2012 the 620HP GT2RS/911TT and other models. It looks like NO manual cars starting with the 2012-991 series of Porsche.

Can we campaign Ferrari to make a true manual again for the 458/F12/Cali.(Euro models have them) or will the demand be so low Ferrari would not care to do so?

 

Can you honestly say you "begrudgingly" accept them when you're as active as you are on an internet forum made possible by home computing?

 

I think Ferrari should bring back engine crank handles and bias ply tires. Wooden wheels would look swell too! Solid axles - wow, I miss those!

Get real folks. Manual transmissions with foot operated pedal clutches are last century technology. If you really want a Ferrari built that way, the used car ads are literally awash with them.

 

Don't get me wrong, the F1 is wonderful! especially on the 458 where the double clutch is just so fast but i just feel like i am more of a driver in the manual. It just feels right in a manual but again the F1 is unbelieveable. Especially the way ferrari makes it, for instance the PDK really is not that enjoyable, the ferrari gives you that feel of power, sound, and just pure fun that the PDK just doesn't seem to give you ( or atleast me). I love the F1 but the manual is my favorite... just my opinion, but you definately do have a point with the whole business idea. Ferrari saw that the manual's were not selling nearly as well as the F1 so it seems they decided to go F1 only.

Love F1 and manual!!

 

If people wanted manuals today, Ferrari would make manuals.

Blame people.

Ferrari offered the CA with a Manual. They made.... 2.

Whose fault is that? Right. It's Ferrari's -- not the people ordering them.

To quote Jerry Sienfeld: "Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks? They've seen the fork!".

 

Incorrect. Porsche offers a manual transmission in the newest 911. It's offered as a seven (7) speed gearbox.

 

I think the "home computing" and "whiteout" analogies are ridiculous. If such utilitarian devices were on equal terms with a drivers' car, everyone here would go buy a Camry.

As a car fanatic first and foremost (NOT just an F-car fanatic) I prize "engagement" in all my driving -- Be it at the track, navigating traffic or running an errand. For me, that means a manual gearbox in every car I own: Even my daily driver wagon sports a resale-proof third pedal! In my opinion, it's worth it: It elevates the challenge, the experiential quality and the enjoyment of every...single...drive.

To my eyes, Ferrari (and perhaps some drivers) are failing to realize the difference between reducing the quantitative lap time at a track and increasing the qualitative driving experience on the road. A sequential gearbox is a technical feat of perfection and suits many folks' desire for ultimate speed or race-like equipment -- No contest, there. But I don't want perfection. I want the imperfect challenge of heal-and-toe skill. I want to lazily upshift as I cruise away from the lights, enjoying that exhaust bark as I depress the clutch. I want to enjoy that little pat on the back I give myself when I time a perfect downshift, measuring the throttle, speed and flywheel weight just right before crisply re-engaging a cog. And, yes, I even want to feel that little cringe when I get it a touch wrong, to motivate me to concentrate a bit more. That's what makes it fun!

If these machines were as soulless as a desktop computer or a common tool, then yeah, there'd be no need for a manual. But we're talking about the historic archetypes of a front-engine V12's & mid-engined GT's driven for fun. And it's a brand promising the automotive romanticism only Ferrari can deliver. So, long live the mechanical feel, long live the analogue engagement and long live the human skill of a manual gearbox, I say.

 

Right Jerry. Life is so much more awful without cell phones, the computer and the internet.

Where's my Encyclopedia Britannica? I want to look up Serbia but all there is listed is Yugoslavia.

 

This common retort equivocates between a transmission choice that empowers a high level of interaction with dated technologies no one I know of wants to see return in modern cars.

For some of us there's just more to driving than making better time -- especially on the road.

With all due respect, "you guys" need a far better argument, one that actually addresses what fans of manual transmissions are saying.

 

How awful, you had to "Begrudgingly" post 24,000++++ times on F.C.....you must have been forced....PLEAASE!!....."you had no choice" to FREELY offer your opinion on a myriad of subjects, topics....blame the computer....your's MUST type by itself.....24,000+++++ times.....Mark

 

Please re-read post 14. It says it all.

You guys aren't upset that there aren't Ferrari's offered with manuals anymore. You don't like being called obsolete.

 

+1

 

The internal combustion engine is last century technology. V12's are last century. Rossa Corsa and Enzo and virtually all of Ferrari's winning heritage was last century.

If technology or unit sales is the yardstick by which this conversation progresses, I presume you're okay with gas-free, electric Ferraris? Or driver-less Ferraris, without foot-operated throttles or hand-operated steering, to shuttle us about? Or Ferraris sold in bulk, achieving their economies of scale by competing with Toyota on pure sales volume? Because that's the 21st Century and that is where the automotive world is heading...

Personally, I prefer to see these cars as something to enjoy, not use. Something innately human, not robotic. Something that takes me back AS WELL as taking me forward.

 

Then go back. What? Did Ferrari just recall every manual car it's ever made? Sorry I didn't hear that one.

Look.. I like classic cars. I think my next one will be a classic. That doesn't mean I need classic parts on a modern car to make me happy. I just buy a classic car for that classic car feel.

I like Black and White classic movies too. So, should I turn off the color on my 60 LED TV just to get that same classic feel?

I remember this same silly argument when Fuel Injection replaced carburators. "Oh! The end of an era! I can no longer tinker with the carbs. There's no soul anymore -- it's all electronic. I can't hear the noise of the air!" Anyone not want to own a modern Ferrari because it has Fuel Injection today?

 

That wonderful post explains why most modern Ferraris run F1 transmissions -- the market. It doesn't, however, address the reasons manual fans offer for their preference.

I would've liked to see Ferrari to continue to offer the manual option in recognition of the sort of interaction manual fans talk about. But if the pricing doesn't work, or if issues like packaging or interaction with other advancing car systems don't allow it, then that's that.

 

I deal in older cars and I really love the feel of a beautifully machined and engineered manual transmission. But new technology has superseded that mode of changing gears in modern cars.
As I said earlier there are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of Ferraris, Alfas, MG's, Jags, Astons, Maseratis, Lambos and other great sports cars available for purchase, where you can get the visceral thrill of piloting a car with non-boosted steering and without adjustable active suspension, and yes of course gated stick shifts that snick into place perfectly. But if you are buying a modern new car, it will have the very best technology to make it as good as it can be.
It called progress and as usual it doesn't sit well with everybody. I'm sure there are plenty people on this forum under 25 who have never even seen a manual stick shifted transmission. They don't miss it because it's not relevant to them. They grew up with video game controllers and that's the feeling they want in their cars.