Ferrari May Bring Back the Gated Manual for Special Models
Ferrari could be about to make a lot of enthusiasts very happy.
The Italian marque is considering bringing back the gated manual transmission following a decade-plus absence, according to Carsales. There’s a catch, though. The coveted mechanical feature would only be available on special models.
In an interview with the magazine, Ferrari’s chief product development officer, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, revealed that the company is “reaching the limit of performance” with its road cars. That’s not because the company can’t wring more power out of its engines, but because its customers wouldn’t be able to handle it—unless they were to put in the kind of training required of professional race car drivers.
The manual transmission could soon be an option on Icona series models like the Daytona SP3
Ferrari S.p.A.
“I don’t think all our customers want to have to train every morning just to drive our cars,” he told the magazine.
Ferrari hasn’t sold a car with a third pedal since the California was discontinued back in 2012. The stick shift was sacrificed in the name of performance, so, at a time when the company has pushed things just about as they can go in that area, it makes sense that it’s thinking about bringing the gearbox back. Fulgenzi said this would involve “limiting performance” to manage the heavy clutch.
If Ferrari does bring back the manual, don’t expect it to be available line-wide. Fulgenzi made clear that the option would not be available on the company’s standard production models. Instead, it would only be available on its more exclusive releases, like the Icona series.
“Probably an Icona car, because it’s a car that represents our heritage, a car to be admired and to be driven in a certain way,” he said.
Fulgazi also revealed that the marque hasn’t reached this softened stance on its own. Unsurprisingly, the executive says that “customers are already asking” for the company to bring back the manual. It’s not hard to imagine a gated manual making the next Icona model even more desirable. Not that the seven-figure cars need much help on that front.
At the very least, this all sounds like good news for Ferrari Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who, earlier this season, expressed interest in helping the marque build an F40 tribute—with a manual.
