- Ferrari has not built a road-going manual since the 599 GTB in 2012.
- A new patent reveals a gated six-speed that can also drive as an auto.
- The shifter carries R, N, D, and M buttons to switch how it behaves.
Ferrari has confirmed it will reveal something special on July 4, lending weight to reports that the company is preparing a limited-edition 12Cilindri fitted with a manual transmission. Maranello hasn’t said outright what the car is, leaving the door open just enough to keep everyone guessing, but a recent patent application seems to back up those rumors.
Read: Ferrari Went Electric With The Luce, Now The 12Cilindri May Go Manual
Speaking at a recent dealer conference in Las Vegas, Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna told the room, “in a few weeks, if you can bear with us a little bit, then you will see something new where we put together something from the past with eyes on the future. Let’s say wait till the fourth of July. It’s really soon.” If he’s talking about a manual 12Cilindri, then Ferrari enthusiasts have something to get very excited about.
USPTO
It’s been 14 long years since Ferrari last built a road car with a manual gearbox, and for this new one, it doesn’t appear to be opting for any old manual. Instead, a recent patent filing made by the marque depicts a new kind of transmission using shift-by-wire technology, similar to the setup found in the Koenigsegg CC850.
A Manual On Demand
This means drivers can drive the car like a traditional manual, complete with a six-speed gated shifter, or choose to drive it like an automatic. Images in the filing reveal R, N, D, and M buttons on the shifter, quickly and easily changing its functionality.
USPTO
According to the filing that was caught by CarBuzz, the shifter moves along two axes, with a pin at the base of the lever connecting to a tiny ECU. Spring-loaded contact rollers provide an authentic manual-shifting feel, and Ferrari notes that their resistance can be electronically controlled to mimic the behavior of a traditional manual gearbox.
A separate filing made by Ferrari reveals that this setup can be hooked up to the dual-clutch transmission already used by Ferrari, including in the 12Cilindri, meaning it could be a relatively simple plug-and-play system that can be combined with a clutch pedal.
Given the apparent effort Ferrari has put into designing and developing this new transmission, we wouldn’t be shocked if it were added to other cars. For now, current rumors indicate the limited-run six-speed model will be dubbed the 12Cilindri MM, and it may be offered in Coupe and Aperta configurations.
