Let’s get one factor out of the way in which: the brand new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale doesn’t actually have a handbook transmission. As a substitute, it makes use of one thing way more complicated—and doubtlessly much more fascinating.
Referred to as “Manuale By-Wire,” the system was developed solely in Maranello. There’s a shift lever and a clutch pedal, and you use them identical to you’ll in any handbook automobile. The distinction is that neither is mechanically related to the transmission. Each motion is transformed into an digital sign, which then instructions the identical eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) present in the usual 12Cilindri.
Mechanically, the powertrain is unchanged. The naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 nonetheless makes 819 horsepower and revs to a screaming 9,500 rpm. What Ferrari reinvented is every part between the driving force’s arms and toes and the gearbox. It is a captivating piece of engineering.
This story initially appeared on Motor1 Italy
Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale
Picture by: Ferrari
The Shifter: Designed To Really feel Mechanical
The shift meeting weighs lower than 7.7 kilos, but it surely’s full of engineering you by no means see. At its core is a block of high-strength metal machined from stable billet to extremely tight tolerances, guaranteeing the lever develops nearly no play even after years of use.
The mechanism makes use of two separate rotational actions: one selects the gear, whereas the opposite engages it. A system of eccentric rollers robotically returns the lever to the middle place. However the true magic occurs on the level of engagement.
Picture by: Ferrari
A specifically profiled rotating drum works with a preloaded mechanism to construct resistance earlier than out of the blue releasing it. That launch creates the satisfying “click on” you are feeling by means of the shift knob, recreating the tactile sensation of a conventional handbook gearbox utilizing electronics as an alternative of mechanical linkages. Ferrari even surface-treated the drum to make sure that really feel stays constant over the lifetime of the automobile.
Two Corridor-effect sensors repeatedly monitor the lever’s place on each axes utilizing magnetic fields reasonably than bodily contact. In the meantime, an electromagnetic solenoid acts as a lockout, bodily stopping the lever from finishing a shift if the transmission will not permit it.
Ferrari even engineered the sound of the mechanism itself so the acoustic suggestions provides to the expertise. Reverse is engaged by pushing the lever down and deciding on the upper-left place of the shift gate, identical to basic Ferraris.
The Clutch: What Occurs When You Get It Flawed?
The pedal field is totally new to accommodate a 3rd pedal. Just like the shifter, the clutch is totally by-wire. An angular place sensor always measures pedal journey and interprets the driving force’s enter into hydraulic instructions that function the DCT’s clutch packs.
The problem was making an digital clutch pedal really feel like an actual one.
Ferrari solved that situation with a passive mechanical system consisting of a preloaded spring, a cam, and a curler. Collectively, they recreate the resistance curve of a traditional clutch, constructing effort as you launch the pedal earlier than dropping away on the engagement level.
As a result of that resistance is generated mechanically reasonably than electronically, the pedal responds immediately, whereas the sensors synchronize every part with the engine and transmission.
Picture by: Ferrari
From behind the wheel, it behaves very like a conventional handbook. Nail your timing and shifts are clean. Miss it, and you may really feel a jolt—and even stall the engine.
Guide mode controls the primary six ahead gears plus reverse, and it might probably solely be activated utilizing the clutch pedal. There are not any steering-wheel paddle shifters, marking the primary time in a few years a Ferrari has performed away with them solely.
Swap to computerized mode, and the DCT handles the shifting by itself. Even then, you’ll be able to preselect gears with the lever, and the digital instrument cluster previews how the shift will have an effect on engine velocity earlier than it occurs.
Picture by: Ferrari
You may nonetheless carry out a correct heel-and-toe downshift, matching revs by mixing the throttle and brake. And in the event you abuse the clutch on launch, you’ll be able to stall the engine. These are experiences Ferrari homeowners have not had in a really very long time.
In different phrases, Maranello could have pulled off one thing outstanding. Whether or not it actually captures the magic of a conventional handbook gearbox is one thing we’ll solely know as soon as we get behind the wheel.
