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

IMO, the best Lambo ever - it looks like a Ferrari

I saw one in Philly last week being totally rebuilt - I mean totally, from the frame up (major sheet metal work, etc). In fact, the shop gave us the vents to refinish

 

1997 FERRARI 355 GTB - Factory Autorized New and Used Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lotus and McLaren Dealer


No affiliation

Joe

 

It's getting harder and harder to accept the argument that non-dual clutch automatics perform any differently than dual clutch automatics with the advent of transmissions like GM's 8L90 (which supposedly shifts quicker than a PDK) and the like. Plus, the availability of DCTs in normal cars (like the Dart, Focus, Fiesta, GTI, ILX, and etc) is growing, so there's not really much novelty to owning a Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren/Porsche with a DCT anymore.

 

Maybe the power trains could be designed to accept a Manual? But then the control issue appears again. Who knows, There may be some way to do it but ECUs will probably be swapped.

 

Having been lucky enough to drive many of the current crop of paddle shift cars (F12, California, 458, Speciale, SLS-AMG, MP4-12C, 650s)

My own car.... a 360 manual, hunted for for more than a year as, with the exception of the 12C I didn't rate any of the paddle shift cars in terms of enjoyment.

Sure they might be a second quicker around a track, but I've driven my car once on a track and 10k miles on roads where the joy of a gated transmission, the skill of the heel and toe and the thought processes involved in gear selection all conspire to confirm to me that I made the correct choice.

I remain in the market for a stick shift California, sadly they are so rare I've only ever seen a few!

 

You actually don't have to get rid of (or replace) the F1 tranny physically;
what you do is to add a 3rd pedal that the driver can use to control the F1 clutch,
and a stick shift the driver can use to select the gear.
A bit of TCU programming and the user is given the illusion of a manual.

 

Of course just like real F1, right?

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

Completely agreed with your views on the joys of manual.

There were only 2-3 California's ever made with manual though
Here's a Ferrari California with a Manual, One of Only Two Built

One sold for over $400,000

Ferrari offered both manual and auto on the Cali, and only 2-3 customers ordered the manual...when you have such little demand, it just does not make economic sense for Ferrari.

When a Ferrari spokesman was asked why Ferrari doesn't make manuals anymore, his answer was this:

"I think the best answer is the client answer. The client answer to the California was very limited," the spokesman said.

 

You can actually replace F1 with a manual on most cars. Both F1 and MT are more similar than most of you realize. If you look around this site, you'll some threads on people who have actually done it; especially with 360 cars. It may not be very cost effective, but if your good a tracking down parts, it can be done for a reasonable tariff.

Funny thing about collectibility: Unlike DCT, F1 is actually a Ferrari-derived technology. Only Ferraris (and a few Maseratis) have it and I believe It comes from their racing department too! DCT was not developed by Ferrari and I believe they are using Getrag-sourced systems. The gated shifter is unique to Ferrari and some other exotics, but Ferrari hardly developed or advanced MT technology. So, whilst we all like to bash F1, I can see down the road where F1 cars could become the new sought after collectible cars. Something to think about...

 

They both have their good points. I still love driving my old MGB.

Ron

 

Serious question. I sense that you like Ferrari's but you're bitter about the demise of gated models (I get that). But what's keeping you from buying any gated Montezemolo- or Fiat-era car? I know there isn't a lot of the "modern" ones (360, 430, 599, etc) but there seems to be a few popping up for sale from time to time.

 

I already have an F355, I have had it for 15 years.

The bitterness is that I can't get a big engine mid-engine car that does not look like a squashed toad (430).

 

So you can't find a manual transmission car that doesn't appeal to you? How about a Cayman or Boxster? How big of an engine do you want? Either Porsche will run circles around the 355. There are always options.

 

Not sure that I would consider a Cayman or a Boxter beautiful, they offer tremendous value for performance for the dollar once they suffer from their traditional significant depreciation, just not sure I could ever get comfortable with the appearance of either one of them.

 

I drink cold beers too. I even like that Budweiser stuff you guys drink but only on occasion. Our beer is varied in taste, temp and quality You have to pick the right ones.
It's quite often cold outside so warm beer helps However I'd not say it was that warm. The thing with cold beers? You can't taste how **** they are. True story.

As for Kidney pie, I have never heard of that until today let alone eat any.

I recall many years back on an American Honda Accord forum and some driver (think it was female) saying how they just bought a 'stick' and could anybody local help them master it. I was well and truly smacked in the gob.

 

So that'll be a car that has a 70's or 80's "wedge" but has a modern engine and gearshifter? The wedge is gone.. thank god!

 

The gearing on these cars is too tall. You never have to shift, hardly. Especially for the Boxster Spyder or Cayman GT-4.

This also keeps them from truly competing with 911.

 

I heard a total of 6 manual Cali made, the Foskers car in the ad hasn't been back to market for a long time and, I would imagine, would command a serious premium if it ever did.

My hare-brained scheme is to wait until I find a Cali with a failed F1 box for sale, buy it and then the manual gear parts from Ferrari and have a conversion done... doubtless costly but a car I would keep for a long time so worth it to me.

 

2 manual Californias made, according to Ferrari, including one UK RHD.

 

The only people who ask for manuals anymore? Apparently this includes a buyer for every one of new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S models the company just built. Every car for the US was sold in advance. Also, the new Porsche uber model (GT 4, I think) w/ the manual trans was sold out in advance.
The new R & T drive of the manual Aston indicates that they did, in fact, turn a paddle only car (Vantage V 12 S) into a manual w/ a clutch. Can they make money on it? I guess this depends on the R & D costs divided by the number of such cars sold. AM did it, so Ferrari can do it as well, and if it is cost-feasible, then I think Ferrari should do it ...

 

I think it was the 911R that sold out in advance.

If Ferrari offered the California T with manual I would buy one for sure. F12 also, but I couldn't afford that one!

 

I like that plan!!!!

 

I too like that plan!!!!

 

The 3 pedal manual only has 6 gears. The DCT you want to convert to manual has 7 gears. You care to explain how you will put in a new gated shifter which allows for the additional gear MacGuyver? . Or maybe you just plan on utilizing 6 and have an unused 7th? Looks like you may need an entire transmission swap.

Not to give you or others a hard time but doing something like this is plain ridiculous. Even buying a 6 speed manual California is ridiculous. You're down one gear and buying an enferior performing car.

If people are going to respond with they don't care for the performance then simply get an older car which has the 6 speed manual. I have my E46 M3 which is a 3 pedal manual. Some have a 997 GT3 which is great in the 3 pedal. The 360 3 pedal IMO is better than the F1.