Ferrari is bringing back the manual gearbox after a 14-year absence. The 12Cilindri Manuale is the first Ferrari fitted with a clutch pedal since the California, and the first manual V12 from Maranello since the 599 GTB. At €590,000 (around $1,200,000), it costs roughly 50 per cent more than the standard 12Cilindri, and just 1,499 examples will be built. Ferrari’s departing commercial chief Enrico Galliera confirmed the manual gearbox has been the single most-requested feature from the firm’s clients in recent years.
Not Quite What It Appears
Here is where things get interesting, and a little unconventional. The 12Cilindri Manuale is, technically, an automatic. There is no mechanical linkage between the gearlever and the gearbox, which sits across the rear axle. Instead, Ferrari has retained the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission from the standard car and layered a by-wire system on top of it.
The clutch pedal reads the driver’s inputs and translates them into engagement of the gearbox’s clutch packs, with millimetric precision. Project lead Valentin Marguet described the system as built on mechanics, with electronics present only to communicate the driver’s intentions to the car. The result is a system capable of replicating everything from a gentle clutch-ride away from rest to a clutch-kick to initiate a slide.
You can even stall it. What you cannot do is accidentally select the wrong gear and destroy the drivetrain — the system will not accept a dangerous downshift.
The Practical Compromises
Because the open gate carries only six speeds (preserving its visual purity) the car must revert to automatic mode to access seventh and eighth gears at higher speeds. Launch control, which is needed to achieve the claimed 2.9-second 0–62mph time, also requires automatic mode. Manual operation can be initiated below 60mph simply by depressing the clutch and selecting a gear.
The entire manual mechanism weighs just 5kg. Ferrari used gas-nitrided steel in high-wear areas and aluminium elsewhere to keep weight down while maintaining long-term precision. The pedal action requires 10–15kg of force and moves with a smooth, linear feel. Engineers chose not to replicate the variable resistance of warming fluids after a cold start, prioritising consistency over absolute authenticity.
The centre console has been redesigned around the new setup, with a floating aluminium gate and a ball gearknob displaying the shift pattern, backlit in white or orange depending on mode. Standard paddle shifters are absent.
Specification and Availability
- Engine: 819bhp naturally aspirated V12
- Gearbox: Eight-speed DCT with by-wire manual control (six manual speeds via open gate)
- 0–62mph: 2.9 seconds (automatic/launch control mode)
- Price: €590,000 (approximately £508,000)
- Production: 1,499 examples
- Deliveries: Early 2027
Every car receives silver Scuderia shields, a model designation on the flanks, and Daytona-style pinstripes across the nose and rear aero winglets. All examples are offered through Ferrari’s Tailor Made programme. Galliera acknowledged the car is effectively already sold out.
Why It Matters
Ferrari’s approach is a genuine engineering curiosity. A by-wire manual system sidesteps the packaging difficulties of routing a mechanical linkage to a rear-mounted gearbox, while still delivering the tactile ritual that enthusiasts have been asking for. Whether it truly replicates the feel of a traditional manual is a question that will only be answered once the car is driven properly.
What is clear is that Ferrari has taken the request seriously enough to spend years developing a bespoke solution rather than simply reviving an old layout. For a brand that abandoned the manual gearbox in the name of performance, that is a meaningful shift in direction, even if the gearbox underneath remains very much an automatic.
