Do you really want to slide through a frictionless life of easy, seamless experiences brought to you by AI and smartphone apps and cheap delivery services? Or is life better with a certain amount of friction, some challenges, adversity, and obstacles to overcome? We welcome a challenge, and apparently Ferrari does too because the company recently went to extreme lengths to offer a manual gearbox in the 12Cilindri.
The glorious 12Cilindri Manuale is the first Ferrari with a stick-shift in 14 years, since 2012 when the last 599 GTB Fiorano rolled off the line. It’s a strictly limited edition of 1,499 examples, designed for “Ferraristi who are loyal to front-engined V12 two-seater berlinettas and seeking an even more physical level of driving emotions,” according to the company.
Why All The Fuss About A Stick-Shift?
To the uninitiated, the appeal of a three-pedal manual gearbox might be tough to comprehend. Gearheads love them, sure, but why? Put simply, it’s all about living with a bit of friction in your life.
Automatic gearboxes are easier to use, no doubt. Your left leg can relax. There’s no need to think about engine revs or time the perfect downshift. Automatic gearboxes require no special skill, training, or practice. They make driving fast around a racetrack much easier.
By contrast, a stick-shift is an intentional challenge, a skill that can always be improved but never fully mastered. It forces a driver to think more, to be physically engaged with the oily mechanical workings of the machine. And that makes for an all-consuming driving experience. In the parlance of wellness culture, you’d call driving a stick-shift a “mindful” pastime. Think of shifting gears as a game within a game, not unlike a tennis serve or a golf putt. Executing a perfect shift feels every bit as good as firing an ace across the net. Try it and you’ll see.
Modern Manuals Are A Thing
Ferrari is not the only brand to recognize a small (but growing) group of drivers who hunger for the challenge of a six-speed either. Judging by the market for multi-million-dollar supercars, plenty of well-heeled drivers are looking for that deeper connection and challenge.
Gordon Murray offers both its T.50 and T.33 supercars with a six-speed manual paired with a high-revving V12. In fact, Murray told Harry (of Harry’s Garage) that the company dropped the automatic gearbox option because such an overwhelming majority of buyers opted for the six-speed.
Over in Italy, the Italian artisans at Pagani have turned the six-speed manual into a work of art. The exposed linkage and machinery would shame many luxury watches. The same can be said of high-end restomods of the kind Singer produces, and indeed countless other low-volume restomods. The Kimera 037 is among our favourites.
The Best Luxury Cars With A Six-Speed Manual
Moving into slightly more affordable territory, manual gearboxes are (sadly) increasingly rare. More and more brands are killing the stick shift, but there are a few notable exceptions. Lotus, for one, offers its Emira V6 with a manual. Porsche, for another, offers a supremely tactile six-speed in its GT-series cars. BMW will likely bid farewell to the manuals once the current-generation M2, M3 and M4 are discontinued; to appease fans, BMW’s M division recently offered a limited-edition BMW M3 CS Handschalter. It’s a rear-drive, stick-shift M3 sedan built only for the North American market.
Cadillac, of all brands, offers our favourite V8 sedan with a stick-shift. The CT5-V Blackwing is already a cult-favourite, and for good reason. Its thundering V8 and manual ‘box make it a lurid, old-school, tail-happy sports sedan. If you’re not having a good time driving this beast, you should seek treatment. Sadly, the manual Blackwing may not be long for this world, so get one while you can.
The Best Affordable Sports Cars With A Six-Speed Manual
The Best Affordable Sports Cars With A Six-Speed Manual
NISSAN Z NISMO. PHOTO COURTESY OF NISSAN.
The Best Affordable Sports Cars With A Six-Speed Manual
ACURA INTEGRA. PHOTO COURTESY OF ACURA.
If you’re on a budget but still hungry for a stick-shift experience, we’d highly recommend the Acura Integra Type S. It’s understated, practical, and one of the best-handling sports sedans on sale today. And, of course, its six-speed manual is a peach.
Looking even further into affordable sports car territory, there are the stalwarts like the Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ, but a more recent entrant into the category is Nissan’s Z NISMO. For 2027, the high-performance NISMO model is being offered with the six-speed manual it always deserved.
But Wait — Is Ferrari’s Manuale Really A Manual?
Here’s where things get interesting. Ferrari couldn’t just fit an old manual gearbox into the 12Cilindri. Its V12 engine pushes out 819 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, enough to turn most gearboxes into metal confetti. So, Ferrari did something we’ve never seen before and made a complete manual interface — clutch pedal and six-speed shifter — for the 12Cilindri’s eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The clutch and shifter aren’t physically connected to the gearbox; it’s all done electronically, designed to perfectly mimic the real feel and feedback of a mechanical manual. Ferrari calls it “Manuale by-wire.” If it’s as good as they say it is, this could be the best of both worlds. Have Ferrari just saved the manual? Yes, they just might have.
