I think the typical GT3 buyer has more in common now with Macca's demographic of more 'hardcore' cars. For better or worse, Ferrari has tilted more toward luxury over sports (read: AMG Mercedes over Porsche.) Even though Mclaren needed it way worse than Ferrari, Mclaren's holdout on SUVs speaks of the changing clientele. I'm not saying there are no enthusiasts that would roundly welcome 6-speed Ferrari again, just that this cohort does not make the lion share of the typical person plunking down 1/2 a million for an SF90. Ferrari accountants are not dumb; if there is money to be made making six speeds again, they will do it. After all, this is a company that made an official Ferrari Surfboard at one point.
My wife's Porsche Boxster GTS does, works great, wish I had that on the race track! Although sometimes I turn it off just to keep in practice....but the car always does it perfectly.
Sometimes I wonder, what does prevent lovers of old-fashioned cars to buy old cars? Why do they want to buy new cars that are like old cars? For me a new car should be forward-designed in the search of improving how it accomplishes its mission statement, so a new performance car should use up-to-date technology improving its performance. (not that I'm completely consistent either, after all I also bought a new Caterham which is just a '57 Lotus Seven with a current production engine...)
I think we do - I have a 95 Ferrari, 96 Porsche and on the hunt for a 67-73 Porsche. But I also sometimes just want to quietly commute to work or go to the grocery store in something modern and for that I have the new 992 (coming - not delivered yet). But I hate to have to settle for an automatic even in my grocery getter because I just despise autos (especially dual clutch autos)
Ideally, we'd like the strengths of modern design (structure, suspension geometries, brakes) without the computerized anti-soul that takes away our control due to some programming and/or regulation.
Then the DCT with manual operation (i.e. not in auto mode) should be a praised solution... it's a refinement of the true sequential gearboxes that have existed for decades on motorbikes (and some race cars), adapted to road cars (a DCT gearbox looks like a dual-sequential gearbox, one for odd gears and one for even gears).
This is something that people seem to not understand.. For those of us who truly like manuals, DCT autos are zero improvement (and in fact worse IMO) over a traditional torque converter automatic. What I don’t like about autos is that my left foot and right hand have nothing to do, that one of the more engaging balancing acts of performance driving is just... gone... Paddles are just a funny shaped button and have zero emotional involvement. The fact that a DCT is quicker, more efficient and technically “better” has no bearing on my fun quotient... Just like watching a better golf player is not as much fun as playing the game yourself (if you’re into golf), watching a DCT swap gears is not of interest to me. At a certain point, I might as well get into the backseat and let the autopilot drive..
I drove my f355 spider MT like a daily driver when I lived in LA. Only issue I had was the exhaust manifold which was covered under warranty due to emissions law. Had the Tubi then switched to Mille miglia. Nothing like shifting gears at 8500 rpm’s and running at Willow springs.
As Rudy explained it, the shift is at the request of a button. The computer will decide whether or not you get the shift. You also can't control the clutch engagement at all. A little brush of the brake to set the fronts into a turn? Computer cuts the power, and in some cases, will disengage the clutch. Stability control will similarly tap brakes/cut power/disengage clutch if it thinks you're doing something you shouldn't. I've had a couple of cars gyrate me over more than the width of each car in a turn because "Sooper SMraT Kompooterz" didn't like what I was doing at the time. I bought a new Porsche to make my Mom and Jen happy that I finally drove something with a better crash safety rating than another vintage car. It uses the ABS for brake balance, which pisses me off, but it's what even Porsche has gone to, rather than the nice balance they were known for.
Oh of course I feel like an idiot. Amazing collection!! Love your taste. I have just a 993 but enjoying my research to add a 355. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I don't know what or how your driving but I drive my 430 Scuderia in manual mode and set the manettino to Sport or Race mode and its a blast! I never drive in auto mode. All Ferraris of the past 20 years or so utilize the manittino system and you can use CST off if you want all the 'nannies' disabled. On a track CST off is best but only for very experienced drivers, experienced with both track driving and the specific car. In race mode the nannie limits are moved back so the driver can have more engagement. In manual I do all the shifting with my fingers, up and down shifts with both hands on the wheel. I control when the car shifts, up or down. I drive very fast on back roads and much prefer how Ferrari created a set up that allows for a broad range of driving from cruising down to the store or balls to the wall! Sounds like you have never driven a modern Ferrari but I see that you have been on FChat for a long time with many post so maybe I misinterpreted your post.
Why dont you teach yourself to left foot brake, your corner speed will be upped for sure. The only advantage as far as the fun factor goes as far as im concerned when it comes to paddles, is that I can left foot brake , Ive been doing it for decades in 2 peddle vehicles. Thank you
Thanks for the tip but I am an experienced HPDE instructor and quite familiar with left foot braking (even in a manual!) It has its place in the driving toolkit but a manual makes a car fun to drive in my neighborhood where the speed limit is 25 mph - and where left foot braking wouldn't be very useful. In general, I'm not looking to really stretch the performance of any sports car made in the past few decades on the street. Way too risky and much less rewarding than driving hard on a track anyway. And even on the track, I'm happier driving my manual car a bit slower than I could with a DCT, I'm not competing for prize money and I'm just there to have fun. For me, a manual will ALWAYS be more fun than an automatic*. I don't mind if you prefer a DCT - knock yourself out! I just wish the manual option wasn't such an endangered species that is rapidly headed for extinction. * Unless an amputation or other physical issue precludes use of both feet and hands, of course. I had a student once at a PCA HPDE who only had one arm and he drove a PDK.
IMO, manufacturers should not schedule "AN Unwritten rule" of a model successor every 5-6-7 years, once they have something really worth the change in many different aspect, do it. And the "face lift" thing is a total different story
Ferrari is now a publicly traded company. Its board of director is can either 1. Sell vehicles that make a tiny number of old buyers happy. These buyers may not buy for much longer. 2. sell vehicles that a lot of younger buyers will buy and possibly become lifetime buyers. Making a lot of profit now and more later. I wonder which option the board of directors be pressured to pick.
I know the F1 shifts faster & more efficient but when I break 6000 rpm & hear the groooowl of the mid-engine shoot to 8500 rpm and hear the click gated shifter launching me I can’t keep from smiling and laughing. I can’t replace that. The newer cars are faster, easier to drive and thrilling but that click I would miss.
That's why I said unless you are tracking it. Also a manual transmission is over a half second slower to 60 than a dct car.
I don't think anyone that wants a manual cares about that. Just saying, if the argument is it's slightly faster at the track, why stop there and just buy yourself a race car. Certainly a/c, stereo, nav, power seats, and all other unnecessary additions are slowing the car down more than what kind of transmission it has.
The most important benefit of a paddle shifting vs. a stick is safety …..both hands are always on the wheel. Those of us that take the sport of tracking seriously do drive our cars as fast as we can on the track and doing so with both hands on the wheel is always better than having to move your right hand to the shift lever on the floor or tunnel. Its that simple. That said, I agree there is a certain pleasure out of manual shifting. I have cars for both but don't track the manual. I had 11 yrs. of shifting my 6 speed Porsche race car and know the risk of driver error is greatly increased with a stick.
Not sure it is that simple, can't say I've ever heard of a car crashing at the track because it has a manual trans. I guess anything is possible!
If you're doing tracking for enjoyment, nothing can beat the pride and sense of accomplishment of getting that paddle pulled juuuust right. Right?