It’s a challenging time for stick-shift enthusiasts. While a few automakers have indeed expanded their manual transmission offerings in recent years, the broad outlook is that it’s becoming an increasingly niche product. But if recent reports are to be believed, one high-profile marque is mulling a return to manual transmissions for a very simple reason: it’s a way to stand out from the crowd.
That’s the gist of the comments made by Ferrari Chief Product Development Officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi at a recent media event, as reported by Carsales’ John Mahoney. “In terms of mechanical gearchanges, it’s something that could be in the future, depending on product,” Fulgenzi said.
As Autoblog’s Steven Paul pointed out, Ferrari’s last manual transmission vehicle was the Ferrari California, which was offered with a stick shift until 2012. As for which future vehicles may get shift-it-yourself options, Fulgenzi gave one clue.
“Probably an Icona car, because it’s a car that represent our heritage, a car to be admired and to be driven in a certain way,” he said. The limited-edition Icona series debuted in model year 2019 and features designs hearkening back to classic Ferrari models. In 2021, Ferrari announced the third model in the series, the Daytona SP3.
The Classic Ferrari Collector’s Guide
A decade-by-decade look at the Prancing Horse’s sports and touring cars, including underappreciated models to know and buying advice to followAs Carsales noted, this isn’t the only news connecting Ferrari to a potential return to manual transmissions. Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has also spoken of wanting to work with the automaker (and his new F1 team) on a high-performance stick-shift vehicle. Not necessarily the makings of a renaissance, but Ferrari’s next steps could make a segment of automotive enthusiasts very, very happy.
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