It's not so much Ferrari that has failed rather it's customer base that has failed them by not opting for the manual as much as the the Porsche customer base has - IMO
To me there is no greater driving experience than perfectly executing a 4 - 2 downshift under hard braking. It requires skill, timing, and a connection with the machine. This is followed closely by rowing up and down through a gearbox on a tight twisty road, always keeping the RPMs in the sweet spot of the power band. Drivers, true drivers, understand this but sadly I fear most buyers of new Ferraris, or at least those who prefer paddles over pedals don't.
So you carry out clutch-less gear changes in your road going Ferrari? - Why? All you're doing is increasing the risk of getting your gear change wrong and smashing the teeth off the gears! Clutch-less gear changes are simply not required in a modern Ferrari synchromesh gearbox. Added to that, if you want fast gear changes, smash through the manual gearbox as fast as you like without using the clutch - You'll still never be anywhere near as fast at changing gear as a modern DCT gearbox! And the number of people who drive their Ferrari on sheet ice is? (My monies on it being hardly anybody!) Hang on! - Let's review the context of what was said previously: I posted that one of the advantages of a semi-auto gearbox is the fact that it makes it impossible to down-shift into a gear that is too low for the road speed, risking locking up the rear axle and a possible accident - The gearbox control system simply won't allow it. You then stated that you've never down-shifted too many gears for the road speed, locking up the rear axle, to which I've pointed out that not every driver is as talented at driving as you are, and that with a semi-auto Ferrari, even the most ham fisted of drivers cannot get their down-shifts wrong. Ferrari do not specifically make cars for ham fisted drivers, but plenty of ham fisted drivers buy them, because there is no special Ferrari driving test required to buy them to prove how good a driver you are, you simply have to have the right amount of money available. So you happily left-foot brake in a manual car, but you wouldn't left foot brake in a semi-auto Ferrari? (Just to recap: You did say that one of the disadvantages of a semi-automatic Ferrari is that your left foot becomes redundant!). Apparently, there's a lot of satisfaction in starting old cars on a crank handle, there's a skill in setting the advance and retard of the ignition yourself, and, I've also heard that a lot of drivers derive great pleasure in the ability to operate a crash-gearbox properly, with all the double de-clutching involved. The thing is though, Technology moved on and made these methods unnecessary, antiquated and obsolete. And now, the exact same thing is happening to the manual gearbox - It's becoming antiquated and obsolete!
Thanks for the replies. I instantly wondered what do I think is the best engine ever from Ferrari... I realized, its a tough one! I wonder if we should make a poll for the best engine ever from Ferrari. But I think we would need too many options.
No one who drives a manual transmission Ferrari cares that DCT is fractions of a second faster on the shifts. Most would consider crank starting a car and manual ignition advance a chore while manually shifting a joy so your examples are not very relevant. Autonomous cars will be fastest around a track. Manual steering, braking and acceleration is antiquated and obsolete in comparison so surely you would prefer the fastest way around the track?
It's been posted by more than just myself, but I personally know and experienced the hard push that dealers were giving buyers AWAY from manuals in 2002. It almost bordered on a threat not to order the cars (actually, I was told that if they did deign to order you a manual, it wold take much longer than the two year wait, if it was ever made at all). Most people folded at the threat. They just line-bumped me, and I took my deposit and bought vintage instead. I know I'm far from the only one, and it was a strong driver of the "Nobody wants a manual anymore" lie. They COULD say that "almost nobody orders a manual anymore" - they just didn't finish the statement honestly with "....because we do what we can to prevent that". Buyers were bullied into buying F1 when they didn't want one, if they ever wanted to get the car at all.
Probably true. Dealers will push you away from options choices they think they will have a harder time re-selling. This is part of the reason there are so relatively few cars in colors other than red. Of course, sometimes it's for your own good, like if you want to order a car in a very odd color or color combination. But I can certainly see them at the time thinking F1 transmissions are cool and the wave of the future, so unless you order one (as an extra cost option), they would prefer to sell the allocation to a buyer who plays along. On Porsches, dealers will steer you to order a sunroof even if you don't want one, but may be less likely to steer you away from a manual because the secondary market will buy them.
And so, I can no longer buy any modern Ferrari. But apparently, I can buy a host of other sports cars.
I have been praying they would bring back a MT model for years now! I recently defected to Porsche because I didn't want to pay egregious $ for a 8-10 year old gated F430!! Porsche gets it - they cater to their enthusiasts with several three-pedal models, including the fabulous GT4 (which I bought ;-) Can we start a petition of some sort to get Ferrari to do this?
Some people don't have the coordination to drive a car with a clutch peddle and hide behind the technology and stats of paddle shifters (automatic in my book). These "chick" cars are nice but I like to row my own boat!
You make it sound like knowing how to drive manual is as hard as getting a nth degree black belt! It's pretty easy for anyone to learn.
A real Ferrari has a clutch and everything ther a 4 or 5 speed manual transmission.....everything else is just a video game pretending by to be a car....Boring..... I will never part with my manual transmission Ferrari....and I will never ever buy a Nintendo paddle shift car....
I think a new manual transmission model should be along the lines of what I suggested before the California was introduced. It could be a driver-friendly Ferrari aimed NOT at maximum track performance which most owners are not really qualified to use, but at driving enjoyment that any enthusiast would appreciate. If I were in charge, it would be a front engine, 3.0 to 4.0 liter V-12, 300-350 hp, 6 speed, styled along the classic late 1950's & 1960's lines, with multiple suspension modes. I truly enjoyed my 8 years with 12451 - 1969 production 365 GT 2+2. The performance was accessible, the comfort was great, and the styling was without parallel. Jim Walker
The 488 is fun compared to a minivan but compared to other high performance cars I found it rather disappointing and forgettable. Turbo-muffling takes away a big part of the Ferrari driving experience (the sound!). It was similar to driving a McLaren: fast car but lacking emotion. The F12 on the other hand is about as close to a sports car experience as a grand tourer can get. The sound of that NA V12 is intoxicating. It would def be more fun with a gated manual though.
I've heard from others and reviews (even watched YouTube videos) that seem to have confirmed the sound deficit. I think a sports muffler will rectify that - my view based on attending back to back the Ferrari Challenge races with the 458 spec vs. the 488 spec cars - I thought the 488 cars sounded much better (I was surprised given my assumptions)
Why "thank god"? You do not want to pass along the skill so they can enjoy the pleasures of a manual transmission?
So if your wife/girlfriend could climax faster using a vibrator would that be better? Faster, saves the bother of doing it yourself and takes no skill on your end so it's better right? Sorry, but I'll keep my three pedals. Things that require skill and effort are more rewarding, and especially so when well executed.
Exactly - I ordered my 1999 360 as a manual and it came as F1. I had to really insist my 2002 360 spider be a manual
I hope you got some compensation at the first try! Second time they got it RIGHT =) But the third time won't be a charmer anymore...
I am very pleasantly surprised that this thread made it into Rob Lay's latest email "Notes from Rob" that was sent out to all forum members at 20.9.2017. This discussion is relevant! And I am glad to give something back to this community at FChat that has helped me A LOT during my FCar ownership. Thanks.