We Need to Talk About Ferrari's New 'Manual'

[00:02] Ferrari have just announced one of their most desirable supercars ever. Cilindri Manuale. And for the rest of the video, I'm just going to call it the

[00:14] the video, I'm just going to call it the 12-cylinder manual E because there's an E on the end of manual. And that E stands for electronic as it is a manual stands for electronic as it is a manual by wire system. Uh nope, I am being told

[00:28] that's just how Italians spell manual. This is off to a rocky start. Now, before you immediately get upset, by the end of this video, I might convince you that this is not only a good thing, but perhaps even a shift in the right

[00:43] direction. You see what I shift Anyways, and look, I'm on your side, okay? I've owned seven cars with real hydraulic clutches where the shifter actually connects to a legitimate manual transmission. And so

[00:57] because of that, yes, I have some complaints here about how Ferrari have done this. But ultimately, I think there is a positive message here. So let's get into it. We have four questions to answer. Number one, how does it work?

[01:11] Number two, why would Ferrari use a manual by wire system rather than an authentic manual? Number three, what are the advantages and disadvantages? Quite a fascinating discussion. And finally, number four, how should enthusiasts feel

[01:26] about it? So let's kick this off with how it works. In principle, its operation is quite straightforward. There are three main components we need to understand. The transmission, the clutch pedal, and the gear selector. The

[01:38] transmission is easy. It's the same eight-speed dual clutch transmission from the Ferrari 12 Cilindri, which means yes, it will have an automatic mode which uses all eight forward gears and a manual mode which gives you the

[01:51] first six gears of the DCT plus a reverse gear. Eight gears is a little clunky for a manual selector, so they only give you gears 1 through 6. Now, this does mean in manual mode the car has a slightly lower top speed because

[02:06] the 12 cylinder is capable of reaching its top speed in seventh gear, which isn't accessible in manual mode, but you can still exceed 190 miles per hour or can still exceed 190 miles per hour or over 300 km per hour in sixth gear, so

[02:21] who really cares? Anyways, the transmission is the same 8-speed DCT we already know. It just now has a new and different manual operating mode, which leads us to the clutch pedal. This is a clutch-by-wire setup, which, if hearing

[02:35] that gives you heart palpitations, you should know that that rightmost pedal has been throttle-by-wire for the past couple decades for nearly all cars. The middle pedal going brake-by-wire is increasingly common in modern cars, and

[02:48] so really it was only a matter of time until that third pedal caved and we had a clutch-by-wire. And there's some good news here, actually. Ferrari says, and I will quote directly, "The pressure applied to the pedal is detected and

[03:02] digitally converted with pinpoint accuracy before being transmitted via a by-wire system to the dual-clutch gearbox control unit, thereby establishing a seamless link between pedal pressure and the opening of the

[03:16] clutch plates." So, there is a position sensor in the clutch pedal. It sends that signal directly to a control unit, which then hydraulically operates the clutch pack within the transmission. Now, a dual-clutch transmission, as the

[03:30] Now, a dual-clutch transmission, as the name implies, has dual clutches. So, how does this work? Well, presumably, as you press in the clutch pedal, whichever of the clutch packs that is engaged will open up as your clutch pedal reaches the

[03:44] floor. Then, as you let out, depending on which gear you selected, the appropriate clutch pack that is paired with your selected gear will engage. So, what's interesting here, if you're to go sequentially through the gears like 1 2

[03:59] 3 4, well, then as you press in that clutch pedal, you're going to open up one of the clutch packs, and then as you bring that clutch pedal back up, you're going to close the other. So, you'd be going like 1 2 3 4 with your clutch

[04:12] packs as you shift through those gears, and then as you press in that clutch pedal. Now, of course, you can skip around gears however you like, and the control unit will actuate the appropriate clutch as requested.

[04:24] concerned, I think just like with brake-by-wire and throttle-by-wire, there are really good examples out there, right? And there are also some not-so-great examples out there. I think done right, most people won't care about

[04:39] clutch-by-wire because you are actually synchronizing your foot to that clutch. sense. It will still have that mechanical feel. It's just that now there won't be a hydraulic fluid behind that clutch pedal. Now, does this mean

[04:53] you'll lose that feel of the clutch biting? To some extent, sure. But I think because the clutch pedal is actually operating like a clutch, you're going to get all these similar mechanical cues from the vehicle. So,

[05:06] your body and foot will understand what's happening. Remember, even with a more traditional modern hydraulic clutch, everything your foot is going to feel is going to be filtered by that hydraulic fluid, which is going to cut

[05:19] down on very fine vibrations. If the car you're currently driving is old enough to use a cable clutch, well, then maybe you have a complaint here. Personally, I am not completely disturbed by clutch-by-wire. But what about the gear

[05:33] selector? Okay, so of all of the components, the gear selector will likely be the most controversial. There is a self-contained gear selecting unit with six forward gears plus a reverse that has no mechanical connection to the

[05:48] actual transmission. It's a little toy box for very wealthy adult children. If you've ever sim raced with a manual gear selector, this is the same idea, but

[06:00] it's probably a bit higher quality. How does it work? Well, as you shift the lever to select different gears, there are two Hall effect sensors which are reading the position to know which gear you're selecting. This information is

[06:12] relayed to the control unit which then chooses your selected gear. As far as physical feedback, there is a push-pull solenoid. So, there's an actuator providing feedback as you select different gears. And so, Ferrari can

[06:26] transmission vehicles, plot out the lever stroke versus lever force, in versus what your hand is feeling, and then they can recreate this sensation so

[06:38] it feels like shifting a real manual transmission. That's the theory at least. I have no idea how it actually feels, but it is at the very least a clever recreation. But, with the gear selector, you're no longer having that

[06:50] sensation of the selector fork forcing the collar into gear, meshing with the synchros as you apply more pressure with your hand, and that satisfying click when you know you're in gear. Like, you may be provided with these same

[07:04] sensations, but it's the DCT that's actually doing all of the shifting. So, jury is still out on if this sensation can be done well enough. Now, as mentioned, the car has manual mode and it has automatic mode. If you push the

[07:17] clutch pedal in, this activates manual mode which changes the shifter light from white to amber, and now you're doing all the gear shifting. Or, you can switch to automatic mode. The gear selector remains in the center position

[07:30] with the white H pattern light, and you have all eight gears and the car does paddle shifters here. Now, it's worth mentioning, you really are controlling the clutch. So, if you're at a stop and you let the clutch pedal out too quickly

[07:44] throttle, you absolutely can stall that engine. Heel-toe and rev-matching is also on you. So, Ferrari has really made this so that you get the manual experience with the pros and cons depending on how savvy of a driver you

[07:59] are. Seems like a great first car for your kids, you know, switch to auto if they're struggling with the manual. Okay, so we know how it works, but the Okay, so we know how it works, but the next obvious question is why? Like, why?

[08:13] Ferrari has stated two reasons. First, they've brought back the manual due to customer demand. Extremely wealthy people, they're just like us. Okay, that's great, but why does it need to be manual by wire? Well, according to Top

[08:29] Gear's discussion with Ferrari, it's because previously there haven't been manual transmissions capable of the torque rating that Ferrari's engines have. Okay, I'm going to support this claim and then tear it apart a little

[08:42] bit. First of all, we have evidence that manual transmissions are limited in torque versus their automatic counterparts. Take, for example, the BMW M2. Whether you get the manual or the automatic, it's the exact same engine,

[08:57] automatic, it's the exact same engine, both making 473 horsepower at 6,250 rpm. However, if you get the manual, instead of 443 pound-feet of torque like instead of 443 pound-feet of torque like the automatic M2, you only get 406

[09:11] pound-feet of torque because, as stated by BMW, the manual transmission is rated for lower torque. So, with that logic and Ferrari's 6.5 L V12 making 500 pound-feet of torque, maybe a typical manual transmission really is the

[09:27] limiting factor. But, I have two counterpoints. First, the car behind me is a Shelby GT350 and it has a manual transmission that is capable of the engine's 429 pound-feet of torque and revving to 8,250

[09:41] rpm. That means there's more power at a higher rpm and more torque going through the Tremec six-speed manual than the BMW M2 manual is capable of, which led me to search what's the highest torque rating that Tremec sells in a manual

[09:56] transmission. Well, well, well, they have a six-speed manual unit good for have a six-speed manual unit good for 800 pound-feet of torque, 1,000 horsepower, and 8,600 rpm. Now, the Ferrari revs to 9,500 rpm, so perhaps it

[10:13] wouldn't work in this case. But, Tremec transmission has a 300 pound-foot buffer over the Ferrari's torque rating. From a technical standpoint, I don't see a manual being ruled out. Keep in mind, the V12 engine sitting in the Gordon

[10:27] the V12 engine sitting in the Gordon Murray T.50 revs to 12,100 rpm, and it's paired with a manual transmission. Now, it's insanely expensive, but that leads to my second point. Your Ferrari, saying there's a

[10:40] technical limitation just feels off brand, right? Customers throw giant sums of money at Ferrari, and in return, Ferrari makes some pretty special, pretty wild vehicles. I drove the 12 Cilindri, and that V12 is just

[10:57] Cilindri, and that V12 is just not AI. being the leading reason behind it. Though again, that's just a comment from Top Gear's coverage of the vehicle. What I personally suspect is the leading

[11:11] reason behind the manual by wire system is a combination of homologation and economics, right? They already have the eight-speed developed. It's already been tested. It's done all the certifications and required regulatory tests, and so if

[11:27] you can use the same transmission, you can likely avoid so much of the regulating headache that goes along with making a car. And because they're only making 1,499 of these, the per unit cost to develop a

[11:40] manual transmission specifically for this car would be extraordinary. So, very expensive on top of the homologation concerns. That's my bet on the Y question. All right, let's move on to advantages and disadvantages. This is

[11:55] from the eyes of the consumer. I'm not talking about the benefits or challenges for Ferrari. And this is actually a really interesting discussion, unlike most of my videos. Starting with the good news, there are some clear

[12:08] advantages. First, it eliminates some driver error, though not all, that could damage your vehicle. Okay, so for example, you can't money shift this transmission. Say you're in sixth gear on the highway and like an idiot, you

[12:21] try to shove it in first gear. The shifter will mechanically lock you out of doing this if the engine RPM would exceed its redline by going into that gear. Why this doesn't happen on all manual transmissions, I'm not quite

[12:35] sure. But with this one, you're locked out from the most expensive form of shifting. Second example, you can't trash your synchros. If you're the type of driver [music] that just absolutely slams your gear lever into place, or you

[12:48] don't fully disengage the clutch before shift, or you don't use the clutch pedal at all, this will do a number on your synchros. In Ferrari's case, the DCT is handling all of the engagement, so you can be as idiotic as you like with the

[13:01] shifter and you're not going to ruin your synchros. Also, if you're resting your hand on the shifter but unknowingly applying some force forward or backward, you won't be forcing your gear fork into a rotating collar causing wear. There

[13:15] aren't any consequences for resting your hand on that gear shifter and you definitely look as cool as you think you do. Okay, but another clear advantage of this manual by wire system is more aggressive gearing. And now you're

[13:29] thinking, "What the heck?" Hear me out. Modern automatics and DCTs are using about eight to 10 gears. Because of this, they have much tighter packed gear ratios with lots of aggressive gears and lots of taller gears. Say Ferrari were

[13:43] to make this a proper six-speed manual. Well, sixth gear would definitely get taller so that the vehicle could reach its design top speed. And then with the get raised a little bit so everything's evenly spaced. And modern fuel economy

[13:58] targets are more stringent, so manuals across the board have gotten taller across the board have gotten taller gears. And it has a crazy powerful V12, tall gears whether or not their customers actually visit the track. But

[14:11] here, because of the manual by-wire system, you're limited to the first six gears of an eight-speed automatic, keeping the gears shorter than they otherwise would have been in a bespoke six-speed, which means you get to hear

[14:24] six-speed, which means you get to hear 9,500 RPM all the more frequently. That is a genuine win for the manual by-wire setup. And finally, the obvious advantage, you get both an automatic and a manual. Say you want to drive in

[14:37] manual mode, but your partner wants to drive in automatic mode. Well, now you both have a transmission that suits your needs. I think that aspect is actually really cool, that you have both an excellent DCT and if you want, can

[14:50] manually shift. Two very different driving experiences in the same car. Okay, what about disadvantages? Well, the obvious one is just the lack of authenticity. I think from a clutch perspective, it's no less real than

[15:05] throttle by-wire. It's not the clutch that bothers me, but rather the gear selector. What you're feeling with the gear selector is not actually the engagement of the gears. But do they fake it good enough that it actually

[15:18] matters? I suspect if you eliminate ego from the equation, they probably could create a very enjoyable, very convincing experience. But still, even if it's faked well, that's kind of a bummer when you're spending 10 times the amount of

[15:33] what it costs to buy an awesome driver's car where the shifting is real. So, the other big disadvantage, cost. MotorTrend estimates the sticker price MotorTrend estimates the sticker price at $680,000,

[15:50] which is over $200,000 more than the standard DCT 12-cylinder. I suspect there are some buyers, which when spending $200,000 more, would prefer the experience to be as authentic as possible. Though, I don't doubt they'll

[16:03] sell all 1,500 of them. Another disadvantage, it's a software-defined manual transmission. And I suspect those who prefer a manual transmission paired with a screaming V12 probably do not prefer software-defined vehicles. There

[16:19] are benefits to this, too, of course. You can change aspects of how it feels and operates to improve it over time based on customer feedback. But it's a step away from what a manual transmission tends to represent within

[16:32] the car world. And finally, latency. Now, I don't want to label this as a disadvantage without having experienced it. But I do wonder if there is any noticeable latency with the clutch-by-wire and shift-by-wire. Time

[16:47] will tell once folks get behind the wheel of these. Now, Ferrari, if you're watching, I know I just listed a bunch of disadvantages, but um yeah, I'm still keen. Now, to close out, I want to touch on the question, how

[17:00] should enthusiasts feel about this car? And I have two points to make. First, this is reportedly a nearly $700,000 car. So, to me, I'm like whatever. What

[17:12] does it matter what I think? The price alone means most of us don't really have to care too much unless this becomes a gateway for vehicles like that one becoming manual by wire. And I do think that would be sad. But point number two,

[17:29] and I genuinely think this deserves major recognition, Ferrari has made a new car slower. Let me say that again, Ferrari has made a new car that is

[17:41] intentionally slower. Joy will never come from a spec sheet despite how many cars that spec sheet may sell. That is a fundamental problem with modern supercars. They're all chasing crazier and crazier

[17:57] horsepower numbers in search of being the fastest here and the fastest there, the fastest here and the fastest there, and who really cares? There are plenty of super fun slow cars and plenty of very mediocre fast cars. Enthusiast

[18:11] cars, in my opinion, should be made to maximize joy. And in this specific case, the only reason Ferrari is making this an option, aside from making money of course, is to increase driver engagement, to add more joy to the

[18:27] equation, and it comes at the expense of performance numbers. The car has a lower top speed in manual mode, and you're going to shift way slower than a DCT ever would while you're in manual mode. Oh, no, your lap times. What's awesome

[18:43] about this car is that it was made to be more engaging at the expense of speed. That is something truly worth celebrating. So, hats off to Ferrari for making a slow car. Wait, it's a V12 with nearly 820 horsepower. It's

[19:01] anything but slow. All right, folks, how do we feel about it? Any questions or comments, leave them below. Oh, and if anyone is curious about how this compares to Koenigsegg's manual by wire system used in their CC850, it's

[19:14] actually quite different and quite fascinating. So, I will include a link fascinating. So, I will include a link to that. Thanks for watching.