whats going no with gate shift car? price going up?

There you've said it: It's the perfect blend.

Couldn't agree more. IMHO it's the perfect mix between the manual gated and the more modern dual clutch transmission.

For me, driving a car like our F355 is already a sensory overloading event. With F1 I can simply enjoy more what the car is offering without having to lose an ounce of my concentration over things such as rev matching, double clutching and heel-n-toeing.

I'm not here to put down on the traditional six-speed gated trans. I'm simply trying to promote the enjoyment and convenience of the F1 transmission given that it's properly set up and calibrated. Most horror stories regarding the F1 floating around on the internet were probably due to owner/operator's abuse, lack of maintenance and/or the system not being set up properly in the first place.

It is a wonderful system. Give it a try before so quickly deciding on a gated one.

 

Newbee so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I think the 355 is the last of the classic Ferraris. The most modern of the style dating back to the Dino and the end of the Enzo era cars. The 360/430 was a departure from those lines (not better, not worst....just different). 458 gives no manual option and both Ferrari and Lamborghini have gone the way of F1 or E-gear due to faster shifting/better acceleration times. The Ferrari for forefathers rowed gears (no such thing as an F1) so with the last of the classics I want what they had, A sexy car where I can row my own gears. I do not think I am alone in this fact and very possibly the reason for the rise in values.

That said, I can see the love for F1 too.

 

F1 vs Manual:

This is clearly a matter of personal preference. There is no wrong answer. If you like the F1 system, buy an F1 car. If you like the gated 6 speed, don't settle for an F1 car, the experience just isn't the same. I fall into the camp who prefers the 6 speed, even in stop and go traffic I don't have the urge to replace it. I can appreciate both points of view and to say that one size fits all would be a mistake.

There is one clear advantage to the 6 speed car... simplicity.

 

Popcorn anyone
Having a 3 pedal car means you have to have at least 150% of the skill set a 2 pedal car requires, simple math. Some people are over loaded with a keyless fob.

As mentioned your location in the world might determine value/cost.

 

I can carry on a conversation with my instructor in the passenger seat, wave to the corner marshal, while drifting the car through a turn under power setting up to switch gears.

 

I'm from Jerzey and we be liek....
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Then of course there are us Canadians. Snow means the perfect hand brake spin or corner drift with worrying about tire flat spotting.

 

I just returned home from a two and half hour drive in my F1.

Sunny day, 30 degrees, roof panel out, bliss!

The funny thing is, that's the exact sound track I was listening to:

Click, waaaaa, click, waaaaa.....

 

Love that photo Tim. Reminds me of Thanks Giving, 1989. I grew up in Phily. and now live in CT. I was traveling to my parents for TG. Driving an 1989 BMW 3 series. It had snowed a little early in the day. When I got to the NJ Turnpike I was shooting down the fast lane and noticed that as I continued there was a ridge of snow piling up in the center of the lane between my wheels. It was getting wider as I continues and I noticed a plow up ahead that was the cause. So I figured it was time to get out of the left lane. Now that perfectly balanced 3 series ultimate driving machine was no match for the 3" or so of snow between the wheels and when I attempted to crossover it, at speed, I found myself going backward. A women in the center lane stared at me out her windshield and I could see she was in panic mode, face whiter than the snow. So I'm driving backwards down the NJ TPK looking over my right shoulder and now the car is drifting towards the Jersey barrier. I figure this isn't good. I don't want to bang up the right rear quarter of my 2 month old Bimmer. I tap the brakes and cut the wheel and swing that sucker around 180 degrees and I'm back straight as an arrow heading home. No sweat!

 

I think a lot of people here fall into the "either" category. I can shift with my left hand or right with 3-4-5-6 speeds. It's kind of like chopsticks; it is a mastered art, but I prefer a fork. When I decided which Ferrari I wanted (355), I leaned toward the F1, but the car I found that said, "Take me home." had a manual, and I'm a completely happy camper.

 

That photo makes me laugh, that looks like summer, we get a couple of feet in one storm several times a year, Jersey is a cake walk in comparison to living in the mountains in Colorado. Of course I prefer a manual over F1. Drove a 458 for the morning in in the hills above Maranello last week and it was epic. That being said, I think my 355 with gated manual 6 speed would have been more fun. Loved the 458 and want one desperately, but the car was just too big for the small Italian roads.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Only about here in Montana.

 

Lake michigan dumps so much lake effect snow on me and my area its cute so many people in the north think they get all.the snow..
The ones who get snow up north live near the great lakes. We get all the snow.


You either can drive on winter roads or you can't.

I prefer a rear wheel drive with 4x4 if i need it.

As for 6 speed or F1 I have both and I really don't like the F1.

 

Are people from NJ bad at math? What do the missing 1.5% of the population say?

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. But then again, it is "Jerzey."


Or is that "Joizey?"

 

Go drive a Porsche 911 with the 7spd manual. In another 2 years Porsche won't be making a stick shift car. The Caymen is a better track car but the 911 is just about perfect. The old saying "There is no substitute". I have heard that for years and when I got my 911 2 years ago I can tell you it is true. My son has a Caymen and it is really nice but it is no substitute for a new 991 911.

 

You mean the one that blips the throttle for you? No thanks. I'll stick with good old fashioned manuals. I think that I would rather have an F1 equipped car than a manual that does the fun part for me.

 

Really? Just one more reason to dislike new cars.

Just put my 2010 ISF in storage because the throttle lag pisses me off so much. Will now be driving my 1989 4Runner.

 

They are the ones buried in shallow graves.....

 

I've driven manual Porsches, 911s and Boxsters. Very nice transmissions. But, I have absolutely no interest in another manual transmission car. I have a Boxster with 5 speed manual. The 355 is 6 speed manual. The 308 another 5 speed. If I wasn't set on a 95 my F355 would have been an F1. All that nonsense depressing the clutch and blipping the throttle. It's a nuisance. In my mind the "purist" idea that manual is the way to go just says that the "purist" is just holding on to the past. "Gee grandpa, why don't you have a smart phone?" "I'm a purist grandson. I love the feel of sticking my finger in a dial and twisting it." To me buying another manual cars would be like buying a romance novel. It all sounds wonderful, but it's not the reality of today. I want to embrace the technology and experience it while I can enjoy it. Being an older guy, I look forward to what's next, not reliving the past. I gotten past that. That's why I have a flip phone.

 

Wow! Never heard that before.

I think Ferrari needs to start making roller coasters and remove all this silly driver involvement entirely

 

The paddle shifters in my wife's camaro are cute. I just put it in drive with the AC on and sit in traffic.
Traction control, paddle shifters what good is that 500hp anyway. You have to find that off button and hold it for 5 seconds while rubbing your belly LOL

 

Life is about variety. I prefer white wines. That doesn't mean I can not enjoy a full bodied red. As I said, I have all the manually shifting cars I want or need. It's not like I'll be missing anything if I buy one with paddles. I'm broadening my experiences. And yes, there are many time when I out and about that having to work clutch pedal and throttle is just a nuisance.

And guys, you do understand that all these 7 and 8 speed transmissions, auto or manual, are more about emissions than driving, don't you?

 

I maintain my position that the F1 will be more valuable in the long run.

Soon enough all cars will be F1/DSG/PDK etc. One generation after that, no one new to the road will know how to drive a manual (hell, very few already know).

When that generation comes looking for a classic Ferrari, the 355 will be the oldest one they can drive.

 

As for driving experience, like we've concluded time and time again...it's up to the person behind the steering wheel.

I've been a manual transmission guy my whole life...and I love the F1 system in the 355. It's a perfect blend of the two, unlike the modern systems that literally do everything for you. The 355's F1 still requires the involvement of the driver IMO.