Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale revives the “manual” transmission in its lineup

To be a Ferrari fan nowadays is one heck of an emotional rollercoaster. From highs such as its revitalized performance in Formula 1, to its major controversies, such as the Luce EV. It seems that Maranello wants to make things exciting once again by reintroducing the “manual” gearbox to its lineup with the 12Cilindri Manuale.

If anything, the 12Cilindri Manuale takes everything from the base 12Cilindri that made it so good: its retro Ferrari 365-inspired looks, and that screaming front-mid-mounted naturally aspirated 6.5-liter F140 V12 engine that screams all the way to 9,500rpm.

Power output is still the same at 830 horsepower and 678Nm of torque, but the 0-100kph sprint is a tad bit slower by a millisecond (at 3 seconds) because of the new Manuale-by-Wire system they developed for the car. It still uses the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but this time, with a more engaging experience.

It has a solid aluminum gated gear lever selector for the first six gears plus reverse, including a clutch-by-wire system that also simulates the third pedal on demand. You can even start up the car like a traditional manual by pressing down the clutch to boot it straight into manual mode.

Basically, the system uses a whole bunch of sensors to simulate how a proper manual would work by hydraulically controlling the clutch packs, allowing for clutch pedal travel, giving you the ability to heel-and-toe and even jerk or stall the car. 

Otherwise, you can start and drive the car in automatic mode, and an electric actuator prevents engaging the gears unless you’re in manual mode. You can also seamlessly transition back to automatic when desired, allowing you to use the last two gears as well.

Only 1,499 of these will be built, as an homage to the displacement of the first V12 that Ferrari built back in 1947, and the automaker says that each car will be Tailor Made, meaning that each 12Cilindri Manuale will unique, but defining details include a laser-etched logo on the side badge, a special pinstrip finish on the front splitter and rear wing, and five-spoke forged wheels and aluminum door sills with “Manuale” engraved in them.

We won’t be surprised if one of these ends up here locally, as Velocita Motors, the official distributor of Ferrari in the Philippines, already sells the 12Cilindri in both coupe and Spider variants, and recently introduced the 296 Speciale.

^{Photos from Ferrari}