Ferrari is Considering Bringing Back the MANUAL Transmission | GVE London – Blog

There has been a major trend in the automotive industry where stick shifts, or manual transmission vehicles, seem not to get the love they used to. Referred to as the enthusiasts’ car, the manual is how individuals preach that a car should be driven. However, the performance peak in cars in the past decade has been so massive that in order to get the best performance out, most car companies, including Ferrari, ditched the stick. However, rumour has it, they might be bringing it back.

The Race Wars

The last time Ferrari offered a stick shift was back in 2012 with the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. This now ultra-rare car had a 6-speed manual gearbox, and its production ended in 2012 itself. These now go for outrageous amounts of money at auctions.

If manual transmissions are so appealing, why did Ferrari and most other car manufacturers get rid of them anyway? Well, because it seems the market wanted more performance, which simply wasn’t possible with a manual. A dual-clutch system and modern automatics shift way faster and more efficiently than most humans can, which results in more performance and even mileage out of the car. Furthermore, the average driver seemed to no longer be interested in manual—it was a hassle, as they say.

It’s also cheaper for them to produce fewer transmission options. And with electric cars—no gears, no clutch—manuals are basically obsolete. Sad for enthusiasts, yeah, but the market decided: convenience wins.

Read Also: Essential Brake Maintenance Tips for Ferrari Enthusiasts

A Hope Lives On

Ferrari’s Chief Product Development Officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi recently said, “We are reaching the limit of performance in our cars,” in a Ferrari round table. He goes on to say, “In Formula 1, it’s 2.3 seconds for zero to 100km/h. With the SF90 XX, we are at more or less 2.5 seconds or 2.4 seconds – and that’s with four-wheel drive.”

He is basically trying to say that modern supercars are, frankly, an overkill. The modern driver is not prepared and shouldn’t be subjected to F1 driver-like treatment when they step inside their Ferrari to simply go from point A to point B, the way most cars are driven.

“For a normal driver, you have to physically support yourself for this kind of acceleration, and in terms of muscles and bones in your neck, it’s not easy for long [periods of] time,” he said, adding that enduring the g-forces involved would demand “F1-levels of training.”

“In terms of mechanical gear changes, it’s something that could be in the future, depending on the product,” he said, suggesting that manual transmissions haven’t been completely ruled out, but would depend heavily on the vehicle’s purpose and design.

The Icona

Ferrari has stated that they won’t be going down the Porsche route of making a stick shift for their everyday variants, so to speak. They haven’t confirmed anything yet, but Fulgenzi did say that if it were to happen, it would be for a car like the Icona. “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 when asked about manual transmission.

Final Thoughts

With cars reaching a point where the power wars would most likely end or be mitigated for the most part, car manufacturers would revert to other things that add to the X factor of a vehicle. Ferrari has heard customers rage on about bringing the stick shift back, and it seems the prayers have been heard to a large extent. When or if it comes, though, is still anybody’s guess—but things seem to be going in the right direction for automotive enthusiasts around the world.

And for those who own one of these beauties, whether manual or not, regular Ferrari servicing at a trusted supercar service centre like GVE London is key to preserving that Italian engineering magic. When or if the stick shift makes its comeback, it’ll not only reignite a bit of nostalgia but also set off a new wave in the ever-evolving world of supercars. Furthermore, being enthusiasts, we not only perform the usual repairs and service but can work on customisation, PPF and detailing as well.