Automakers don’t trust drivers. You know how we know? They are constantly removing control from the hands of the person behind the wheel. Auto transmissions, traction control, ESC, etc all take away from the skill/enjoyment of driving for pleasure. The ultimate aim to make cars self-driving. And there will be no more manual Ferraris, according to a company spokesperson in a recent interview with evo magazine.

You missed it! The manual gearbox, we already have it, in many of our classic cars. You can go and drive our fantastic manual gearboxes on our fantastic events for our classic cars. Whoever wants to have this kind of classic experience, they can buy and restore our fantastic classics and come to our events. We have it, we push our clients to discover the beauty of driving a classic car
– Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer

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Not Soon

Galliera was speaking at the launch event of the Ferrari Amalfi, which took place earlier this week. He explained that drivers, even of high-performance cars, are losing this essential skill that many of us take for granted. We offer Corsa Piloti on classic cars because many people don’t know how to use the manual cars. It’s an important experience that we can offer on our classic cars for the time being. Imagine owning a Ferrari and NOT knowing how to drive a manual car?

Ferrari’s distinctive “gated” shifters were both tricky to master and beautiful to look at. As a result they became as much a part driving experience as the beautiful noises emanating from the engine rooms of the Red cars. We had first-hand experience of this as we were fortunate enough to pilot a Ferrari F40, which you can read about at this link. In 2012, the Ferrari California was the last three-pedal Ferrari to leave the factory.

Ferrari isn’t too fazed by the likes of Porsche, or perhaps its owners aren’t driving enthusiasts compared to the German brand, which is still producing manual-equipped cars and offering them with a premium. Of course, Ferrari isn’t alone in going the ‘auto-only’ route. Lamborghini, McLaren, Aston Martin, AMG, BMW M and a few other premium/performance brands have done away with three pedals, except in very few instances. Gone are the evocative shift actions of the legendary Lamborghini Murcielago and Honda NSX.

Are Buyers Really Enthusiasts?

The demand for auto/DCT-equipped cars when there is a manual option (Golf GTI, Hyundai i30N, etc) could lead one to believe that there just aren’t enough driving enthusiasts buying manual cars. There are a few holdouts in this ever-automated space. Mazda continues to offer its best-selling MX-5 with a snickety-snick six-speed gearbox (though not in SA). Toyota, too, offers all its current GR models in manual and auto’ guises, kudos to them for doing so.

Further up the scale there are others who are keeping the tradition alive. The likes of Pagani, with its Utopia and the Dallara Stradale (which you can read more about here) are both offer in manual or auto’ options. There is also the spiritual successor of the famed McLaren F1, the GMA T.50, which is offered with a six-speed manual for more driving enjoyment.

Maybe Someday

Ferrari’s chief product development officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi hasn’t ruled out a manual option entirely, provided you have the cash. This will be reserved for the brand’s uber-high end machines that are made as part of the Icona range. Ferrari’s recent hire, Lewis Hamilton, has already expressed interest in the creation of a modern-day F40 (an F44, perhaps?) with minimal driver aids and a manual transmission. The seven-time world champ was the very first to order a special edition Pagani Zonda, called the LH760, with a manual. He stated that his ‘work car’ has an auto’ so he preferred a manual when driving for leisure.

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