Manual Transmission May Return to Super-Exclusive Ferrari Models
It’s been well over a decade since Ferrari offered a manual transmission on one of their cars. The Ferrari California was the last one, offering a manual box until 2012. But with only three (not a typo) examples making it into customer hands out of a total production run of around 17,000 units, ...
Ferrari reps have finally said the quiet part out loud: manual Ferrari models would print money for the brand
It’s been well over a decade since Ferrari offered a manual transmission on one of their cars. The Ferrari California was the last one, offering a manual box until 2012. But with only three (not a typo) examples making it into customer hands out of a total production run of around 17,000 units, it’s hardly a huge mystery why Ferrari went away from the vaunted gated gear selector. But Gianmaria Fulgenzi, Ferrari’s Chief Product Development Officer, has some thoughts on how that might change in the future.
As originally reported by CarSales, Fulgenzi thinks Ferrari might be reaching the “limit of performance.” With those limitations, Fulgenzi says the brand is entertaining the idea of reintroducing the manual transmission to its cars. “I don’t think all our customers want to have to train every morning just to drive our cars,” Fulgenzi says, discussing how even road-going Ferrari models are now capable of delivering Formula 1 levels of acceleration and lateral forces. Of course, that’s not to say Ferrari won’t continue racing rivals like Lamborghini in the horsepower wars—although Fulgenzi does think power will creep up more slowly over the next ten years, relative to the current pace.
The performance comment is relevant since Ferrari’s initial stance on manuals—aside from the undeniably low take rate—was that they hindered performance. Apparently, the Chief Product Development Officer is willing to make an exception, telling CarSales that “it’s something that could be in the future.” Here’s the juicy part: Fulgenzi says the manual won’t be for everyone. He claims that if the manual returns, it would show up as “probably an Icona car.” These Icona cars are the ultimate in exclusivity, represented by high-ticket flagships like the Ferrari Daytona SP3. That model specifically carried a $2.25 million price tag. Ferrari Daytona SP3
The gated manual transmission has become an iconic part of Ferrari history
While Ferrari isn’t the only automaker to feature a gated manual, it’s become almost inextricably linked to the brand, as the automaker has offered them since the 1950s. Drivers love it for the same reasons people like mechanical keyboards—tactile and aural feedback that lets you get the most of a mechanical experience. Plus, at least in the gated manual’s case, it looks nice. Ferrari isn’t looking to dilute that tradition of specialness, which is why any manual transmission variant would be strictly for the hardest to come by models. For now, anyway.
Some are speculating that Ferrari has their eye on bringing an F40 successor to market, as factory F1 driver Lewis Hamilton has recently suggested. The “F44,” a name Hamilton suggested as it shares his racing number, would definitely qualify as an Icona car. The claims aren’t completely off-base, either. Fulgenzi claimed in the chat with CarSales that “customers are already asking for,” a manual transmission. But that’s been the case for years; perhaps it’s serendipitous that Fulgenzi’s remark comes just a couple weeks after Hamilton initially expressed a desire to build the F40 successor.
Final thoughts
While a large swath of enthusiasts won't even get close enough to breathe on most Icona models, a world with more manual transmissions is a world we want to live in. Many other brands—including notable competitor Porsche—have committed to preserving the manual transmission for as long as possible, leaving Ferrari as the outlier. Perhaps when the bean counters in Maranello see just how nice the balance sheet looks after a shift-it-yourself Icona car, they’ll reconsider their gatekeeping.
