Anyone else think the F12 should have FF?

Yes, I realize that it exposes my shallow materialism and bankrupt spirit, but if the F12 came with the FF AWD system as an option, I'd order it and not have a single regret or care one iota what anybody else thought.

 

True that may be...but the vast majority still learn to drive in a manual at present. Most young kids that just got their license can't quite afford a new car just yet, and it's illegal to drive a manual car with an automatic only license...

 

True. But the question right now is not IF, but WHEN. Ask new kids if they know what the choke is for and you´ll get an idea of what we should expect regarding manual cars. And with hybrid and electric cars coming from everywhere, the manual gearbox is definitely dead and buried. I think that it has 10 or 15 years left in the best of the scenarios.

Said that, I´m happy that I´d learn to drive with a stick and a clutch and I hope that I will be using them in the future, but just in vintage cars.

 

I'm not that sure manual gearbox is dead and buried, in the form of a hand shifted sequential transmission system for example it is still state of art and has at least some advantages (imo).

Anybody watched 6h race of SPA today?
AWD Audis (Hybrid R-18) didn't perform better than the "normal" Audis (R-18 ultra) under dry condition! It seems that there are some problems, the AWD tends to understeer because of the extra weight, the brake balance is far from perfekt, the car is restive under heavy braking and at last higher tyre wear than the ultra.

 

Doesn't that depend on what each of us considers to be a good or better car? (The choice can only be made subjectively even though the impact these techs have on either performance or feel can be assessed more objectively. It's a subjective choice between two objective approaches . . . ?)

 

The FF's AWD system is amazing and completely unobtrusive. I was incredibly impressed with it, and would love to see it on the F12.

 

Totally agree and this is also why MG's were once so popular.

Soon manufacturers will realise that there is more to road sportscars than numbers again and retro designs will take on another dimension. These cars will have gearlevers, clutch pedals and will not have fly-by-wire throttle and other BS that removes you from the experience. They will likely cost more but if you are the real deal you will purchase these cars and EVERYBODY will know you "get it".

Currently this market buys classic cars instead of new cars ... marketing id!ots, wake up! there are $'s to be made.
Pete

 

That kind of cars already exists, always have been there: Lotus Elises, Caterhams, etc...

And who do you think that sells better: Lotus or Mercedes-Benz? Purists are in minority: people wants comfort and safety.

 

Please excuse my ignorance but, in the states do you learn to drive in a car with manual gearbox or automatic?

 

True, but nobody knows how to rip customers off better than Ferrari, so they could market the simplest car they have made for 30 years and sell it for 3 times more
Pete

 

They already have doing doing that with the F40/F50 etc...

The Enzo comes with semi-auto gearbox and electronic aids, etc... and the F40 doesn´t. But that´s only because in the days of the F40 that kind of things barely existed.

 

Weirdly, I think Toyota is amongst the first manufacturers to get it:

Other Cars > General Automotive Discussion > "Will you soon want to buy a Toyota?"​

They say the GT86 is built not for outright performance but for a really involving driving experience. Chris Harris drove it and thinks they've done pretty well with it. It also doesn't hurt that it's going to be pretty affordable too.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Anyone???

 

I would say most people learn on automatics and never drive anything but automatics.

 

It's not required.

 

I'm in my early 40s and learned to drive on a stickshift car. Drove a stick all my adult life until recently. I got my driver's license on my 16th birthday, as that was the soonest I possibly could. My son is 17 and learning to drive, on an automatic, of course. I'm not sure I would teach him to drive a stick even if I still had one. In today's day, or perhaps just because I've (sadly) become a responsible adult, I think kids have enough to distract them and that driving is difficult enough without compounding it by teaching them to shift. Of course, we'd like to think they'd be less likely to text and drive if they had to shift as well, but the reality is that they'd attempt to do both, and that's a bad recipe.

The rules here have certainly changed as well, and that's a good thing. Now, all kids in my state must start with a learner's permit, which is very restricting. They cannot, under any circumstances, drive with younger siblings in the car or past certain hours until they have held their license for one year, or turn 18. While I would have been horrified to have faced these restrictions when I was 16, I can tell you that as a parent I'm grateful for them. Kids suck at driving ... hell, most adults do too! I'm glad the state takes these things seriously and has such restrictions in place. Makes it tougher on the parents because we have to police it a little bit more, but all in all, I'm grateful.

How does it work in your part of the world?

 

In Australia or atleast NSW you can get an Automatic license only.

I learnt on a manual and the first time I drove an automatic car I crashed it ... oops.
Pete

 

Yes this is exactly what I really meant. Should have quoted Toyota ... then I deviated to bashing Ferrari just for the fun of it

I'm really hoping that people will start pushing back against technology removing the quality of our lives (such as the Google driverless car) and really understanding it is what we accomplish and do with your life that matters and this requires us all to be deeply involved with what we are doing, not just instructing a computer.
Pete

 

Your question was "should" it have the FF system, not would it be cool.

Sure, it'd be very cool, especially if it was an option so people who don't want it wouldn't have to have it and vice versa.

Would it sell? Probably. Would it be a better Ferrari V12 coupe?? I doubt it but that's subjective.

From Ferraris perspective I wouldn't. Being able to do 2.7 0-60 has never been Ferrari's mission, esp. not for their GT coupe.

But if enough clients ask for it, they'll do it. Make that call my friend....;-)

Let's see how well the F12 handles things then decide what would make it better or not.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

Here in Switzerland you have to learn and pass the driving test on a stick shift/manual transmission. If you do not handle to manage a stick you are allowed to pass the driving test on an auto trans. In the driving permission it is then marked that you are allowed only to drive autos and no manuals.

Three of our four cars we had (we recently sold two of them to make room for other cars) are stick shift. Only the Ferrari is F1.

Markus

 

Lucky you kept the Ferrari with F1 so if somebody in your family fails the manual/stick test they can always fall back on that automatic Ferrari ... good thinking
Pete

 

I always tell my family the Ferrari is the easiest car to drive

Markus

 

here in Portugal you must lear to drive in a manual transmission...once you get your permit you can drive both manual and automatic cars. Earlyer this year i bought a Bmw 5 series automatic for my father in law, it was the first time i ever tried to drive an automatic...and to be honest, i didn´t like it that much..the car doesn´t shift at the same time or at the same places i would, and it feels very odd!!! But my father in law simply loves the car!!!