Message from CEO of Ferrari on Manual Transmission

I see the point that the 458 can .... if it wanted .... destroy other more pedestrian cars. But what about the older ferraris? There are sport sedans that are quicker and faster around a track than some of the older Ferraris. In other words ... the older Ferraris maybe all show and no go. So what is the "sell" on the older Ferraris.

 

Everything is fast now. If ferrari want to be different they should go back to fast, raw, driver focused cars. That'll maintain the hardcore racer image and not the celebrity poseur image they garner now.

 

Why do people bow hunt ? Why do people still sculpt in clay ?

 

I've tracked a lot of cars including some old and slow Ferraris. I can tell you that a slow Ferrari is still more fun to drive than most of the newer, faster cars from other makers.

Dave

 

Agreed.

My 360 is faster than the TR, but the TR has a more uncivilized, visceral feel and sound to it that puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.


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Very well stated.

 

I have not managed to drive an European "crap stickbox", despite owning in excess of 40 European cars. But then none had an engine of 1000cc, which might explain it?

 

+1

I find my dd 110hp stick jetta more enjoyable than my friends brand new dsg m5.

 

My sailboat has over 22 lines to control it. The feeling when it's perfect and in a groove is just like having a knee down around a corner at the track on a motorcycle or the perfect blipped heel and toe downshift going into a corner in the car before blatting out the other side at the right RPM.

There is admitted satisfaction at doing something well that requires skill and learning.

making things easier works for many subjects…. but not all recreational ones?

I got my daughter a sunfish last year to sail because when she gets it wrong it dumps her in the water.

Making a car that is harder to use may or may not be a good idea for a manufacturer.

People will always find ways to challenge themselves though.

 

+1000. Sadly, it's the poseur money that Ferrari is after now. The current management doesn't give a whit about the company's heritage unless it can be leveraged toward the short term bottom line.

 

Bingo!

 

The vast majority of Ferraris, and other sports cars, have always been bought by what you guys call "poseurs".
Most of owners on this site are "poseurs".

Do you really have to race to be a true lover of whatever brand sports car?

 

Yes but Jerry I now use 3D modeling and printing AND traditional clay sculpting to create beautiful objects. I use both for different reasons.

My point is they both have a purpose.

Again what I wish Ferrari would do is let the new Dino have a 7 speed manual option because the point of the Dino is not to be the fastest thing on the streets. If the DCT Dino is slightly compromised by it so be it. Who really is going to be concerned when you already have the big bad 488 available?

That to me would be the compromise to solve most of the purists needs.

Would they do it? Not in a million years. That's the issue IMO. They don't care.

 

True... But seeing a 16 year old girl driving a Ferrari to high school the other day with her boyfriend and sister in the car also helps explain why automatics are preferred nowadays.

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The Ferrari brand probably attracts the most poseurs (not saying that is bad). Example: let's say you have a 911 and a 360. For sake of argument ... Let's say they have the SAME level of performance. I would believe that a substantially larger percentage of the general population would choose the Ferrari over the 911. What percentage of that population are true, manual only enthusiasts? Probably not a lot. Ferrari knows this and is simply following the success of its past brand image into the future.

 

Well, it is all down to the drivers license training. My first car, age 17 and half, was a Ford with a 3 liter V6 engine, that I modified. In its final version, it was powerful.
Manual box, of course, being European.
If a 15 year old can learn to drive a motorbike, then certainly they can learn to drive a manual!

I think it is more a cultural thing. US are very much into Automatics and have been for what, 50 - 60 years (?) , Europe is not there yet, but rapidly catching up.

It is easier to drive an Auto than a Manual on todays congested roads, or the stop and go traffic in towns, plus the fuel consumtion and longevity is virtually the same and the cost difference is small when buying new, hence more Autos are fitted.
I do not think it has much to with being a poseur or a red blooded macho pro.

If Ferraris were only made with a Manual, the chance is pretty big she would still be driving a Ferrari, specially if she lived in Europe! ( she had to be 18 though!)

 

Well certainly, but culturally, I agree Americans tend not to teach their daughters how to drive a stick shift.

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In Europe we like our women to know how to handle a stick!

 

I don't think it was coincidence that demand for new Ferraris exploded when they began offering paddles. Some wanted to be like Mike. Others couldn't drive a manual or had been driving autos so long they were very poor at manuals. Anecdotally, several people told me in the 1990s they would like a Ferrari but couldn't drive a stick. This did not go unnoticed in Maranello.

Dave

 

Except didn't Mike own several manual Ferraris?

(I heard he used to have a Testarossa).

 

Just for arguments sake what was your response in the 90s? Back then when i heard something akin to that my response would have been "if you cant drive stick and dont want to learn why are you buying a sports car?"

The PR machine has done a great job at convincing the world paddle shift is the way to go. Soon it will be zero shift as the way to go.

 

In Europe, I thought they don't use the term "Stick"; they prefer "Manual Transmission."

 

Double entendre.

 

Long time ago but I think I mentioned that a Ferrari was not a good choice for learning how to drive a manual.

Dave

 

That is true but not many knew that. Sort of like Bill Gates fondling his slide rule when no one was looking!

Dave