550 Maranello & 599 GTB Fiorano
The Manual Gearbox With the Typical Shift Gate Has Disappeared from Ferrari for Years, But The Longing Remains. We Brought Together a 550 Maranello and an Extremely Rare 599 GTB Fiorano, As Representatives of, Respectively, The Last Ferrari V12 GT Was only for sale a Manual Gearbox and the Last V12 GT that was AviaLable Gearx.
Nostalgia is a strange and ofes inexplicable phenomenon. This Longing for the Past Leads People to Irrational Decisions in which they of Reject any form of innovation, Without Regard to itss Actual Benefits. That is how you could describe the still audible lament of ferrari enthusiasts about the disappearance of the manual Gearbox they love so much. From a purely rational point of view, howver, ferrari’s decision is easy to explain. The Manufacturer From Maranello is Primarily Guided by Racing Technology Developed in-house, and the Semi-Automatic Transmission was the Tangible Proof of this when it debuted in the F355 F1 in the fall of 1997.
Prediction: Only One Transmission at Ferrari in the Long Term
The Leading Industry Newspaper Automotive News Europe Predicted at the Time That in 1998 More than 60 percent of F355 Buyers would opt for the new F1 Gearbox and that in the Long Term It Could Even Become the Only Transmission at Ferrari. After the Four-Seater 612 Scaglietti, The 575M Maranello, As an Improved Variant of the 550 Maranello, also Received an F1 Transmission, with which Ferrari had robotized the entire range. The Sales Figures Showed That Buyers had A Clear Preference for this Innovative Formula 1 Technology, because Manual Gearboxes were Massively Ignored. In the case of the 599 GTB, not even fifty manual versions were sold on a total production of approxroximately 3,500 between 2006 and 2012. That remarkable small number of leads self-proclaimed experts to dismiss the manual 599 gtb fiorano to not well-wellsano fioraso as well, as not well, as well, as well, as well, as well, as well, as well-theranano fioraso as well-tanleforeo. We prefer to find out for ourelves …
Ferrari 599 GTB DEVELOPED for F1A Transmission
The Reason would be that the 599 GTB-and also the Engine That Comes from the Enzo-was fully developed for the F1A Transmission and that the Manual Six-Speed Gearbox was only a side Issue. That idea is surprising in itself, because in terms of hardware both gearboxes are virtually the same, only the operation of the clutch and the gearshift system are electro-hydraulic in the F1, which means we should actually look behind the wheel for the reason why the manual version might not be Pleasant to drive.
The Car We Are Driving is Privately Owned by Classic Car Expert Nico Aaldering and He Urges Me To Be Extra Carful. I promise that, after which I turn on the roads around Brummen. It is ITIATILY MOTICABLE That the clutch pedal is relatively light and the engagement point can be felt very precisely, after which the 608 nm twelve-cylinder smoothly sets the 599 in motion even from idling speed. When shifting from I to II, you can immediately feel that the gear liver does not slide smoothly out of gear and when I apply a little more force, the gear liver jumps back to neutral. It is also difficult to select second gear, but this is actual all familiar to anyone who has driven manual ferraris more often.
Ferrari Enthusiasts Call It Character
Call it a flaw or a handicap, fanatical ferrari enthusiasts call it character and can laugh about it. It forces you to be extremely precise with both feet and your right hand, because forcing and forcing does not help at all and is even counterproductive. What also does not make driving this 599 Easier is the extremely light flywheel. When you depress the clutch, the revs drop immediately, after which you have to pay close attention to how far the accelerator pedal goes down again when you release the left pedal. This sounds Almost Identical to the Advice You Once Received from the Driving Instructor Duration the First Lesson, But Such Sensitive Technology Means That You Have To Be Extremely Precise. And the fixed Majority of Drivers, Including Those of Ferraris, Act Completely Automatically, Without Listening to Or (Being Able to) Feel the Technology.
Not as Maniacal axis 488 Pista But A True Supercar
Once the Entire Drivetrain is Properly Warmed Up, The Beautiful Metal Gear Liver Still Requires A Resolute And Firm Hand, But You Can Shift Quickly and Accurately And then The 599 Unfolds As A True Supercar That Constantly Seems To Be Looking for Opponents For Opponents. It does not have that almost maniacal charter of, for example, a 488 pista, but seems to want to take everything to live acceleration to 8,000 revolutions per minute. The interior fills with a howl like that of a 1970s Le Mans Racer at the Beginning of the *Ligne Droite des Hunudières *. That Temptation is of Course Irresistible, but the unprecedented potential of this car must be used with care. Anyone Who Handles Such Performance Too Dissolutely Must Not Only Fear Serious Sanctions from the CJIB, But also for Their Own Safety.
More revs than when transmission debuted in Formula 1
Do not forget that this six-liter Twelve-Cylinder Delivers More power at 7,600 RPM than the Formula 1 Cars of Nigel mansell and Gerhard Berger in which the semi-automatic transmission Once debuted. ESpeciate with the manettino in the racing position, the 599 Seems to constantly impose itself on you and you are constantly looking for opportunities to depress the accelerator Deeper. The old-fashioned shifting and the characteristic sound of the gear liver sliding through the metal pattern make the experience even more special. ESpecany because the 599 Actual Feels Like a Modern Ferrari in Everything, in which you would expect a Lightning-Fast Shifting F1 Transmission. The Light and Very Direct Steering, The Rock-Solid and Perfectly Controllable Biting Force of the Ceramic Brakes and of Course The Throttle Response As It Can Only Be from An Atmospheric Twelve-Cylinder from Maranello and that TelePic. Everything is focused on speed and performance, which makes the 599 a gt with two faces.
550 Maranello Much More Old-Fashioned
Compared to the 599, The Driving Experience in the 550 Maranello is much more old-fashioned; It is a sporty car, but not really a sports car. The Operation is heavy in all respect than in the 599, but that is certainly not unpleasant and even contributions to the classic driving experience. Here too, it is important to allow the entire drivetrain to hot up properly before the 6-speed gearbox can show its typical smoothness. The reason that this also takes relatively long here is that the 550, Like the 599, has a transaxle. In this case, the Gearbox Forms One Unit with the Rear Axle and is Therefore Not Attached to the Engine Block. The Advantage of This is that the Weight Distribution is Much Better Balanced, But It also Means That the Much Faster Warming Engine Cannot Transfer Its Heat To The Transmission, which Means It Takes Much Longer For The Gearbox Oil To Reach Temperature.
5.5 V12 Looks A Lot Like That of 456 GT
At Low Speeds and At Low Revs in a High Gear There Is A Surprising Amount of Traction Avisable and the 5.5-liter V12-Which was tasks over from the Four-Seater 456 GT Withy Major Modifications-Knows How to Move the Maranello Smoothly and Smoothly. That smoothness is not only a characteristic or twelve-cylinder engines, but also a differentence between the 550 and the 599. especany when upshifting and downshifting, the 550 Behavior Consider has more willingly and is muchs-to-experient. That does not mean that the 550 has a moderate character. It just takes a little more motivation to bring out the dormant sportiness. To get every’s out of the maranello you really have to sit down, keep the v12 high in revs and make optimal use of the gearbox. When you push the car Towards the limit on winding and narrow roads, you immediately notice that it is not entirely in its element. Covering Huge Distances at Very High Speeds and On Highways and Country Roads is the best way to Enjoy the 550 Maranello and That is Exactly What Ferrari Intended.
550 Maranello Meant Return to Classic GT
As the Successor to the Iconic Testarossa Series, Ferrari Returned to the Classic GT With the 550 Maranello in 1996 and Deliberately Distanced Itself From the Mid-Engine Models with An Exotic Appearance. Remarkffy, Each Successor Became More and More Potent and Faster, which Ultimately LED to the Unprecedentededly Fast and Extremely Powerful 812 Superfast. As Said, the 550 Maranello is still a gran turismo in the traditional sense of the word. It is Therefore – Especiate nowadays – A Model that sacrifices huge potential and large amounts of driving pleasure and comfort for a reasonable price.
Since 206 Dino Distinction between Small Two-Seaters and GTs and 2+2
Since the arrival of the 206 dino in 1967, Ferrari Has Made a Clear Distinction Between the Small and Sporty Two-Seater Variates with Mid-Engine and the V12 GT and 2+2 Models that are at the top of the range and are cleanly intended for a deventent, moreerente a devententerent, more. The Total Sales of Almost 3,100 Units Produced Between 1996 and 2002 Show That this customer Group was a Considerable in the Case of the 550 Maranello. That is also partly the reason Why This Model Will not break any auction records, but the position that the 550 occupies within the history of ferrari and the fact that it is still a traditional gt with a phenomenally shifting model or ctainly ensure and ctainly and ctainly and ctainly and ctainly ensure and ctainly ensure and harly -andure Occupy a solid position on the classic car market. For the manual version of the 599 GTB, that is of course Completely Different, because with less than fifty units produced, IT was immediately a collector’s item and will always remain so.
Never Again Manual Gearbox
Whether the Inextinguishable Love for the Manual Gearbox of a Small Group of Fanatical Ferrari Enthusiasts is Enough to Ever Change the Minds of the Product Planners in Maranello is not Certain. Porsche Once Tok the Same Path As Ferrari with the GT3, But Quickly Came Back From That With Models Such As The 911 R and Later The GT3 Touring. For the Future, The Chance is Virtuely Nil That Ferrari Will Release Another V12 GT Without A Dual-Clutch Transmission. A Handful of 599s Thus Form a Beautiful and Brilliantly Driving Reminder of the Period Before the Major Switch to Formula 1 Technology for the Street, which is better in all respect, but not necessarily more fun.
Driven by the wind
Among Enthusiasts, Fans and Connoisseurs, There is Still the Idea that the Emergence of the Semi-Automatic Gearbox at Scuderia Ferrari Votemed from the Need for Shorter Shift Times and the Desire to Relieve the Drivers Of Work (And Feet). In The Late 1980S, The Development of the Electro-Hydraulic Control System Begen Under The Leadership of Englishman John Barnard, because he wanted to reduce the Frontal Surface of the Ferrari F1 Cars in Order to generate More speed. Formula 1 is ultimately about winning and not about pampering the drivers. Barnard’s idea was that two buttons on the front of the horizontal spokes of the steering wheel only had to be connected to the shift mechanism on the gearbox with wires, so that the gear lever next to the steering wheel and the rod connection that ran from the cockpit through the engine compartment could be removed and the Car would Become Narrower. This cool the ferrari 640 with the new atmospheric 3.5-liter V12 Beautiful, Sleek Lines and an Almost Organic Beauty. The System was first used the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1989 Where Nigel Mansell Tok The Victory. Ferrari Could Not Have Wished for a Better Debut.