Question about manual transmission, shifter

It is very expensive for companies to develop two transmissions for one car, and all the parts to go with them. Only about 10% of F430's had manuals, most were ordered F1. So the R&D cost of adding a manual transmission had to be spread over only 10% of the cars. Naturally, there was no money to be made in having a manual transmission because the R&D cost sucked up all the money. That combined with new technology, more efficient DCT transmissions etc.... why WOULD they make a manual transmission?

 

It's a ball. No matter how you grasp it you are the same distance away from the center line of the shaft that feeds into the linkage below. This makes sense to me, simple, precise, effective.

 

KA- In the olden days of Ferrari shift gates, the idea was to prevent the driver from engaging the wrong gear by guiding where the lever went. Some gates even only allowed one gear at a time shifting to further guarantee no unintentional over-revving of the engine. Many had lock-outs for reverse to prevent that from being selected in the heat of the moment. So that is where the gated shifter tradition began.

Ferrari stopped making three pedal transmissions because customers would not buy enough of them to pay back the investment. On the earlier F1 cars where F1 and three pedal Ferraris shared the same transmission and clutch, the cost was not that great. When Ferrari picked the particular dual clutch transmission for the California and later Ferraris, though, there were, unlike Porsche, no provisions for a manual transmission version of that Getrag gearbox. So it would have required a completely new transmission to provide three pedals for the very, very few who would actually pay for one. Not worth it after dismal customer response on the 599 and California, the last Ferraris available with three pedals.

 

Sums it all up. I would add that I won't be buying any more new Ferraris since they are only two pedals. However, I know Ferrari does not miss me and the few other likeminded buyers.

Dave

 

You can adjust the height of the gear stick by undoing the nut and threading it further down, quite a surprising height difference. I prefer mine as high as possible though as it feels and looks so much better.

To me the open gate is iconic and is superior to any shifter on any other car period. I would even mount one on my desk if I could afford the parts.

 

Right now I have a 430 I bought new 8/05 and a 2012 Porsche Cayman R. I'm not really considering anything else right now. If I was, it would probably be a race car for track days or something more vintage and interesting. With the direction new cars are going (not just transmissions), I'm not sure I'll ever buy another new vehicle of any kind. The good news is there is a vast array of cool used cars to choose from.

Dave