The only people who ask for manual gearboxes are...

“The only people who ask for manual gearboxes are two or three diehard British car journalists,” said Nicola Boari, the head of product marketing at Ferrari.


Wouldn't you know it. It's the damn Brits ruining everything, again. After all, what would you expect from a country that drinks warm beer and eats kidney pie.

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/why-can-t-you-get-your--300-000-supercar-with-a-stick-shift-27546.html?section=75&page=2

 

"But good luck finding a stick anywhere if your tastes run higher. The days of true supercars bearing stick shifts are long gone—and not to return. Would you ever bring the manual back as either a one-off or a production car? I asked Ferrari’s Boari.

His answer says it all: “Categorically, no.”"

 

Right,
Once the F1 system was refined and proven to be reliable and faster than otherwise humanly possible, stick shifts were done for. Sure in cheap builds they will still be made, but in performance cars, their appeal is too limited. The manual selection, sound experience, and auto capability for heavy traffic, all help the robotic system improve it's foothold.

 

Interesting article, thank you for the link.

It's true that 50% of all Californias sold with a stick went to Brits, and more than a quarter of 575 sticks were UK RHD.

Where that leaves me as a 575 and 430 stick-owning British journalist (albeit not a car journalist) I don't know, though I bought mine on the secondary market, where there is a bit more enthusiasm for late model three pedal Ferraris.

All the Ferrari media people I have spoken to have said the same thing as in the link, so unless SM has a revelation, they're pretty clear.

 

Yes, this completely explains the massive price increases we have seen in anything with a stick.

 

Meanwhile, Porsche has seen massive demand for the recent manual transmission performance models like the Cayman GT4, all the manual GT3s and GT3 RSs, the 911R, and those models are already soaring in resale value - but I suppose Ferrari will just sniff and say they aren't in the same market space as Porsche...

 

As someone with the money to buy a new 488 and a person who really can drive a stick:

I say "Ferrari stick it".

To me it is not about speed, but about the interaction of the human and the vehicle.
I have a <new> V12 with flippy paddles, I still prefer a stick in my sports cars.

 

I have both and appreciate both. I love technology and nothing beats an F1 for accurate, concentrated driving. Gates are fun too but just not as productive as the F1.

Modern machines are cool and so are analog machines

 

As much as I sympathize wit hall the pro-stick sentiments here, I can't find any definitive proof that the actual buyers of new Ferrari are demanding it. I believe new buyers *really* prefer DCTs.

Every article I read about the issue says that new buyers don't ask for it, on the contrary - they overwhelmingly ask for non-stick.

Maybe the demographics of the 250K+ segment just don't care. Whereas the often cited Porsche 'sticks' market are not in the 250K market. Even the mighty GT3 is 175K You can buy one GT3 and spare Tesla for 1 488.....

I'm not in a position to drop that kind of money so this is just thoughts from what I've seen.

 

The new Fiat 124 spider has both a stick and auto option.

I bet less than 20% end up sticks where in the 70's and 80's 99% were sticks. And I bet the dealers will be really reluctant to order them, making it worse.

 

They're not. And the only way that I'll ever have a new 488 (lets say) that is a stick is when I buy one and convert it to manual as a custom 1-off. Then when it's in Forza in an article titled "The only 1 in the world." And 500 people are asking me how to do.. and 1 actually puts up $30,000 cash to do it..

nothing at all will change.

 

Thanks for the article!

But back in the 70s and 80s the alternative to stick shift was terrible. Today it is not. It is actually objectively better.

I'm with you guys who really love stick shift but also appreciate the newer F1 systems.

 

Because Justine Beiber can't drive a manual.

 

I'm quite sure that the Kardashians and the other rapper/actress princesses know how to ride.. err.. handle.. a stick.

 

My wife will only drive a stick. She learned on a stick and believes ii has better control, especially in the mountains. She does not drive super expensive cars. She has a Boxster S for summer and an Audi S4 for winter. She likes the more direct direct feel of the 2011 Porsche without electronic steering. Says she will never trade the car!

Just one of the many reasons l love my wife.

She has driven my Audi RS5 with dct but says it's a good compromise. Still prefers the stick. She thinks the 458 Spider has too much power and has yet to drive it. She says she has resigned herself to not being able to get another stick in a "good" (meaning peppy) car. She plans on driving her sticks until they die.

 

This used to bother me but I don't really care any more. I'm 100% satisfied with the 355 and many are right, if I could order a stick 488 tomorrow I wouldn't (maybe a Speciale tho). There's too many other things I dislike about new vehicles and it's not just the lack of manual trans that would dissuade me.

For me mid 90's was a sweet spot for sports cars and I don't mind staying in the past to enjoy what I like.

 

agreed.
i used to think i wanted a stick cali (i have an option on one), but i dont want it anymore. i used to think i wanted a stick 599, but not so much anymore. just about the only newer ferrari i would rather have as a stick shift is a 612.

the newer ferrari simply work better with an f1 transmission. ferrari came up with it as a way to maximize their package and make the most of the fantastic engines. so they are right, use the f1 and enjoy it.

older ferraris are better with a stick. simple as that.

 

No more analog cars, its all synthetic now, objectively better, but otherwise worse as a road driving experience.

Lets face it, on the road its would be a very rare and short moment when 100% of a new ferraris performace could be used. Yeah paper specs are great for bragging rights, but awesome cars look and sound great, they should also provide a fully imersive and rewarding driving experience, and here imo the new cars subjectively lack pretty significantly.

Perhaps the 911R is the first sign of car manufactuerers realizing that a great stick gearbox and great steerign feel are integral to the sportscar drivign experince along with stryling and engine sound. Perhaos its the sign of a renaisance of great drivers cars.

I dont get the modern ferrari as a stylish AT lexus thing, but them most of the current crop of ferrari buyers love it. Yeah they expanded the market, but at what cost.

Paddles are an easy option, not only in terms of driving but also in terms of meeting legislative rules such as fuel economy and emissions, that objectively they are faster on paper is also a huge olus. Lets face it 99% of fast car owners experice with their cars full performce is the paper specs.

I get that on todays trafficky roads paddles mean the car is more useable, that modern ferraris sell in bigger numbers because Paris Hilton can drive one to the hair salon. But that is still no excuse for not also building a seminal drivers car, car brands need a core constituency. Now I know some here will say ferrari is all about performance, and paddles are faster. But in a world of 650hp engines, a big part of the eprformance equation is how great a car is to drive, and for many reasons of which paddles may be one, the newer cars are simply not that rewarding or experiential to drive.

 

Plenty of manual transmissions to scratch my itch, and plenty of other makers out there

 

Who would want carbon paper or a dial telephone? I race with manual boxes because of class rules. I'm surprised that dct f1 high pressure torque converter boxes have not toatally taken over amateur racing. That said street sport cars are supposed to be fast. That means abs brakes, big engines, and modern gearboxes like dct. Bottomline manual gearboxes are slow!

 

Consumers have spoken.

Majority rules.

 

My take is over half the fun of driving the Maranello was rowing that big clunky gearbox. Doing a power shift from 2nd to 3rd without the hood dipping was priceless.

I never liked the F1 in the 575s. I didn't see the point. If you want, you can leave a 550 in 3rd and drive around town with no problem.

Same story with a 599 F1. Boring actually. You're not going to drive the car hard enough on the street (or you really shouldn't) to need the F1.

The track is a different story. I had a Cayman with the PDK, and it was a hoot. Best bet was not to even fool with the flippers. The computer is a LOT faster than you. (Plus, it helps to know how to downshift with the accelerator.)

But still, it is kinda fun to go flying into a turn while heel/toe trail braking when you are sure you're about to die.

 

Here is a dose of reality

McLaren never offers one single manual box (Ok... not counting the F1 but there were no auto boxes then)... Yeh McLaren! They show are all about technology, performance and tracking! I need one!

Ferrari stops making manual boxes... Boo Ferrari! You took away the fun of downshifting and heal and toeing! I'll never buy another Ferrari again!

 

I've never not owned a manual car. Ever. And I will never be without one. I enjoy the raw experience of a 3-petal car.

 

I would never buy a McLaren (other than an F1, of course). They have no soul and therefore have no appeal to me at all. Not that I have any interest in flappy paddle Ferraris either...