The Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale's Stick-Shift Might Not Be 'Real' But You've Gotta Stop Freaking Out About It

As automotive enthusiasts, there are few things we like to do more than complain, especially when it comes to the perceived inauthenticity of a car. Everyone, including me, is guilty of it, but I'm here to say that you've gotta relax every once in a while. Take the 2027 Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale, for example. At first glance, the first manual-transmission Ferrari in over a decade bolted up to the back of a V12 grand tourer would be something to celebrate, but because it's not "real" enough to pass the purity test of armchair car enthusiasts, the takes are flying, and I'm sick of it.

The 12Cilindri Manuale is actually a fascinating piece of kit. I mean, any flagship V12 GT car with a gated six-speed manual transmission would be, but looking into the mechanics reveals something even more interesting, because the 12Cilindri Manuale doesn't technically have a manual transmission at all. Instead, it makes use of the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from the SF90 Stradale — just fitted with a new brain to change how the driver interacts with it. It also, as you may have guessed, gets two gears lopped off the top to create what Ferrari calls a "Manuale by Wire."

In the same way modern cars have systems like steer- and brake-by-wire, Ferrari says its new transmission uses electronics to turn driver inputs from the shifter and clutch into signals for the transmission and engine. That, in essence, means there is no mechanical linkage between the three components, and that has people angry. That's a shame too, because the haters will fail to see another slick trick the 12Cilindri Manuale offers: a fully automatic mode similar to what can be found in the Koenigsegg CC850. For whatever reason, people didn't complain about that car's transmission nearly as much as this one, and I don't know why. They share very similar technology.

Hell, even if you do consider it fake, it'll do a damn good job of playing pretend. Ferrari says it'll still shudder and stall just like a traditional manual transmission if you mess up your shifts. You can also keep it pinned at the 9,500 RPM redline if you so please. I mean, dude, it'll even let you do a clutch-dump burnout and allow for proper heel-and-toe shifting. It's hard to want much more. One thing it won't let you do, though, is moneyshift the motor. That's probably a good thing, because I'd hate to see what the rebuild cost of a Ferrari F140 HD V12 is.

The simple fact of the matter is cars are becoming more and more advanced with each passing model year. If you want to have a wide discussion about that, that's one thing, but there was never going to be a world where Ferrari was going to spend the time or resources to develop a completely new manual transmission for the 12Cilindri — a car that makes 819 horsepower, 500 pound-feet of torque and revs to 9,500 RPM.

There most likely isn't an off-the-shelf manual that can handle these sorts of power figures, and the last true Ferrari manuals could be found in the 599 GTB and California back in the early 2010s. In essence, it was either going to be this "fake" manual, or no manual at all, and I personally believe in the lesser of two evils. Do you not?

I know I'm not really convincing any of you to change your minds, so why don't you try to think about it like this: remember those early automated manual transmissions Ferrari had in the F355 and 360? We'd hardly call those manuals. They were automatics, despite they fact they were based on manual transmissions. In essence, the transmission in the 12Cilindri Manuale is the reverse of those — an automatic acting as a manual. You'll sleep better at night if you just accept that.