Ferrari Draws Fire for 12Cilindri’s 6-Speed By-Wire Manual as V12 GT Revives Stick Shift After 14 Years
Updated
Updated · Jalopnik · Jul 6
Ferrari Draws Fire for 12Cilindri’s 6-Speed By-Wire Manual as V12 GT Revives Stick Shift After 14 Years
3 articles · Updated · Jalopnik · Jul 6
Summary
Ferrari’s 2027 12Cilindri Manuale has sparked enthusiast backlash because its new six-speed setup is not a conventional manual with a mechanical clutch-and-shifter linkage.
The system repurposes the SF90 Stradale’s 8-speed dual-clutch automatic, cuts two top gears, and translates clutch and shifter inputs electronically into transmission and engine commands.
Ferrari says the by-wire design still mimics manual behavior, including stalling, shuddering, heel-and-toe shifts, clutch-dump burnouts and holding the 9,500-rpm redline, while preventing destructive money shifts.
The car pairs that transmission with an 819-hp V12 grand tourer platform, a combination that helps explain why Ferrari did not engineer an all-new traditional manual for a low-volume model.
The launch marks Ferrari’s first three-pedal car in 14 years, reviving the format with a by-wire compromise rather than the fully mechanical manuals last seen in the early 2010s.